A Week in Petalburg City
by Pikachu Used Thunderbolt
Summary: After the Sinnoh League had ended, Ash and Dawn set out for the Hoenn Region to visit a certain coordinator in Petalburg City. As a week of fun passed by, Ash slowly discovered that this girl had already captured his heart. Advanceshipping, AaMayL, AshxMay, SatoHaru
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **A Week in Petalburg City

**By:** Pikachu Used Thunderbolt

**Genre: **Romance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own or am affiliated with Pokémon or any material related to it.

**Summary:** After the Sinnoh League had ended, Ash and Dawn set out for the Hoenn Region to visit a certain coordinator in Petalburg City. As a week of fun passed by, Ash slowly discovered that this girl had already captured his heart. Advanceshipping, AaMayL, AshxMay, SatoHaru

* * *

The sun beamed high in the sky as its rays shined down upon Route 102 in the water dominant Hoenn region. Some of the Seedot walking around the area were rolling around and playing with one another. A group of Marill in the little ponds of Route 102 swam around while an infant Poochyena and its mother took a long drink from the refreshing water. Everything was so peaceful and quiet.

Suddenly, a loud groan came from a distance and scared off the native Pokémon. The sound did not come from a group of angry Pokémon, nor did it come from a herd of larger Pokémon. Instead it came from something much, much worse: a whining teenage girl.

"My feet are killing me!" a feminine voice complained. "How much longer till we get there?"

The voice belonged to Dawn Berlitz, a young but talented Pokémon coordinator, who was born in the mountainous Sinnoh region. Her dreams of becoming a Top Coordinator were inspired by her mother Johanna, who was also a coordinator in her early years. With great and motivational traveling companions, Dawn discovered a fire burning deep in her heart which ignited her confidence and passion. With that fire lighting her way through Sinnoh, Dawn's dreams were finally on the verge of becoming reality, for she had acquired the five ribbons needed to enter the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

"Dawn, stop complaining, we're almost there," the slightly more matured voice said to the whining coordinator.

This voice came from Ash Ketchum, a young male with ambitions that could touch the sky. He came from the small community of Pallet Town in the distant Kanto region. Ash's compassion for Pokémon shined deeply in his auburn eyes. To him, Pokémon were more than just his partners; they were his family. Nothing in the world would ever change that. His determination and hard work finally paid off during his adventure in Sinnoh. Ash Ketchum won the Lily of the Valley Conference and was crowned the champion of the Sinnoh League. The seasoned and experienced trainer also became the youngest champion to ever win a league in all of the known regions.

"But we have been walking nonstop since we arrived at Slateport City this morning," the exhausted blunette huffed out after looking at her Pokétch for the time. "It's already three in the afternoon!"

"I know that we've been walking for a while, Dawn, but if we continue walking at this pace, we'll get there in no time."

"Fine…" Dawn responded as she crossed her arms in annoyance and glared. "But if I pass out, you have to carry me the rest of the way."

Ash sighed and looked at his faithful friend and Pokémon, the electric mouse Pikachu who was sitting on his shoulder. Pikachu was his first Pokémon and oldest friend. Even though the two started off on the wrong foot, their friendship began after they were attacked by a group of Spearow and Ash risked his own safety to save Pikachu. Ever since then, the duo's bond strengthened with the help of others and with time.

"Was I really like that when we first traveled together, Pikachu?" the young Pokémon master whispered to the adorable mouse.

"Pika pi. Kachu pika," Pikachu whispered back to Ash, who was offended after hearing what his partner stated.

"Geez Pikachu, give me a break. I was really enthusiastic back then," the trainer countered to the electric type. "Besides it was our first adventure and––"

"Ash, I am sooooo bored," Dawn sighed and whined, breaking Ash's side conversation with Pikachu. "Can you remind me where we're going again?"

"_Sigh. _For the millionth time, Dawn, we are heading over to Petalburg City."

'_Was I seriously this annoying?' _Ash questioned to himself. '_No wonder Misty would always hit me with a mallet when we traveled together.'_

"Why are we going there again?" the blunette asked, who obviously knew that she was annoying the hell out of Ash, but liked to do it for fun.

"We are going to go surprise May and spend some time with her, remember?" Ash replied as he rolled his eyes, remembering a flashback one week earlier.

* * *

**Lily of the Valley Island, Sinnoh region *****One week earlier***

Ash was sitting on a chair taking a nap inside the lounge area of the Lily of the Valley Pokémon Center, currently waiting for Nurse Joy to finish healing his Pokémon. It was only 7:12 A.M. and Ash was still tired from the other day. Suddenly, that same loud and often annoying voice (in Ash's opinion) woke the raven haired trainer up.

"What are you doing here!? Your press conference is about to start!" the familiar voice yelled to the grumbling Ash, who he immediately identified as Dawn.

Ash, against all odds, won the Lily of the Valley Conference and became the newest champion of the Sinnoh region the other day. After beating Cynthia, news of the young Pokémon master's victory spread faster through the world than a running Jolteon.

"Dawn, you just woke me up from one of the best food dreams I've ever had," Ash groaned to his blue haired traveling companion as he shifted to find a comfortable position. "How did you know it was me anyway?"

Ash was currently wearing a disguise; well more along the lines of a fake moustache and oversized coat, to avoid being spotted by fans. Dawn saw right through his horrendous and ugly disguise, unfortunately.

"Ash, you're still wearing your hat, and you're the only person I know who wears that style," Dawn told her friend, who sighed and quickly put his hat in his coat pocket. "Come on, we have to go to your press conference now!"

"Give me a second, Dawn," Ash yawned out to the blunette. "Besides, I'm still waiting for Nurse Joy to call me when my Pokémon are finished healing. They are more important to me than a dumb press conference."

'_He hasn't changed from that Pokémon loving boy I met near Sandgem Town,'_ Dawn fondly thought to herself as she giggled a little before becoming serious again.

"Well Brock wanted me to find you and make sure you didn't miss your interview," Dawn explained.

"Where is Brock anyway?"

"Brock is keeping those rabid fans entertained since they are all waiting for YOU," Dawn sighed as she smacked her forehead. "Ash, do have any idea what time it is?"

"It's only, like, 7:12. The press conference starts at 7:30," the young trainer responded wearily.

"Exactly! That's in eighteen minutes! No wait, scratch that; now it's in seventeen minutes! Do you even know what you're going to say?!" Dawn questioned her friend as she continued yelling at him.

"Dawn, _yawn,_ you need to relax a little," Ash told to his friend. "Besides, I've been up all night! I didn't go to bed until two in the morning after I snuck away from all the fans and reporters."

Then, Ash's stomach let out a rude noise. "Can we get something to eat first? I'm starving."

"Ash," the young girl placed her hands on her hip, "we can eat AFTER your conference."

The conversation between the two was interrupted when Nurse Joy's voice sounded through the speakers. "Yugi Muto, your Pokémon have finished healing. Please pick them up at the counter up front."

When the announcement ended, Ash got up from his seat and walked towards the counter. This caused Dawn to raise one of her eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh, I used a fake name so that I wouldn't draw too much attention," Ash bluntly explained. The two walked up to the counter of the Pokémon Center and spoke to the happy nurse, who handed Ash his Pokéballs.

"Thank you for healing my Pokémon, Nurse Joy," the trainer gratefully said to the nurse and smiled at her. "Oh yeah, and thanks again for letting me use a fake name."

"It was no problem, Ash," Nurse Joy replied to the raven haired boy. She quickly became shy, however, and looked down at her feet as she asked him a question. "C-can you do me a favor…? Can I please have your autograph? I-it would really mean a lot to me…"

"Um… sure…" Ash replied nervously to Nurse Joy, who he had never seen act like that before (or any of her other siblings for that matter).

"OH MY ARCEUS! Really!?" Nurse Joy quietly freaked out. The professional nurse started to squeal like a fangirl, which caused Ash and Dawn to sweat drop at her antics.

After signing an autograph and giving it to the squealing Nurse Joy, Ash and Dawn walked outside the Pokémon Center and made their way to arena, where Ash's press conference was being there. On the way there, a newspaper stand that displayed a magazine with a familiar face on it caught Ash's eye. It was the popular magazine Coordinators Weekly and had a picture of his best friend May Maple, a talented coordinator and Ash's old travel companion, on the front cover.

"I'll meet you over there, Dawn. I have to –– umm –– doing something first," Ash said to Dawn, who looked at him with a puzzled look.

"Ash, we really need to get to the––"

"I know, Dawn, but this is really, really important to me," Ash's chocolate brown eyes softened, which took Dawn by surprise. Never in her life had she seen that type of look on her friend's face.

"Okay then. But be there soon, I'm not sure how much longer Brock can hold those fans off." With that, Dawn walked ahead while Ash moved closer to the stand.

As Ash approached, a young man who was working the stand saw him and smiled. "What can I do for you, mister?"

"Hi, can I please have one issue of the latest Coordinators Weekly?" Ash answered as he pulled out his wallet.

"Sure thing, that'll be 2 Pokédollars please," the cashier said he handed Ash the magazine after the trainer put gave him the money, "Here you go, please come again."

Ash looked at the cover of the magazine, his fake mustache falling to the ground in response to his jaw dropping all the way down to the floor.

The headline of the issue was "May Maple: Winner of the Johto Grand Festival" and had a picture of the sapphire-eyed girl smiling.

'_Oh no, how could I forget about May's Grand Festival?!'_ Ash thought sadly. '_What kind of friend I am; I didn't even try contacting her after the Wallace Cup all because of my gym battles.'_

Ash was very disappointed in himself for forgetting about May. Sure, he was happy for her, but as her friend and former mentor, it really bummed him out that he didn't think about her sooner. Ash looked down on the smiling photo of May, which caused an unconscious smile of his own to form on his lips. He also felt his stomach tighten for some odd reason.

'_Ow… my stomach feels really weird…'_ Ash thought to himself as he continued looking at May, but shrugged it off. _'It must be because I didn't eat breakfast. Man, I still feel bad for forgetting about May.'_

Ash did not know what to do. He felt the need to do something _bigger_ than a phone call. After all, it's had been a very long time since their last goodbye. As he took a closer look at the picture of May, Ash finally came up with a suitable idea.

'_I know! I'll surprise May by visiting her in Petalburg City! We could hang out together for a while.' _Ash thought. He remembered that when he last saw her at Lake Valor, they didn't properly spend time together except for that one night at the restaurant.

"It's settled then, I'm going to visit May!_" _Ash repeated to himself with satisfaction.

He was really happy that he was finally going to see his best friend after so long. Ash started walking over to the arena, thinking about how he was going to get to the Hoenn region.

After the press conference ended, the three friends walked back to the Pokémon Center and went to their room. As soon as the door closed, Ash informed Dawn and Brock of his plan to go visit May and asked them if the two wanted to go with him. Brock told his long time friend that even though it would be great to accompany him again, the Pokémon breeder really needed to check on his brothers and take a break from their adventure. He assured Dawn that he could come back to support her in the Sinnoh Grand Festival before heading off to bed. Dawn, however, told Ash with excitement that she would go with him since the Sinnoh Grand Festival was in a couple of months. There was plenty of time to prepare for her Grand Festival performance, and Dawn really wanted to see May again. With their plan set, Ash and Dawn went off to bed after packing their things.

The next morning, the trio got up and left early so that no one would spot and annoy them. At the Lily of the Valley Island port, Ash and Dawn bought a pair of tickets to Slateport City via the S.S. Aqua. When their ship's departure was announced, the young friends waved goodbye to Brock, went aboard, and sailed away from the Sinnoh region. After six days of travel on the S.S. Aqua, Ash and Dawn arrived at the beautiful Slateport City and began their journey towards the metropolis area, Petalburg City.

* * *

As Ash finished his flashback, he went into deep thought.

'_I wonder if May will be happy to see me…'_ the Pokémon master asked himself. After the Wallace Cup, the two of them lost touch with one another for an extended period of time. '_I hope she doesn't think I forgot about her and gets mad at me.'_

"Hey Ash?" Dawn asked as she broke his train of thought. "Can you tell me stories of your adventures with May? I really like listening to them."

Ash smiled at his blue haired friend and nodded. She was a good listener and loved to hear stories from Ash's past travels when they traveled around in Sinnoh.

"Sure thing, Dawn. I guess I should first tell you about how I met May," Ash started as old memories flowed into his mind.

"When I first met her, the same thing that happened to you when we first met, happened to May. Pikachu barbecued her bike," the young trainer fondly laughed at the electric mouse, whose cheeks grew redder in embarrassment.

"Wow Ash, the two of you sure know how to make a good first impression," the blunette joined in on the laughter.

"Pikachu was really sick when it happened," Ash explained. "But it technically wasn't _his entire_ fault since Team Rocket attacked us and the Pokémon expert here in the Hoenn region, Professor Birch, with a giant machine."

"Huh? Team Rocket was chasing after you even in the Hoenn region?" Dawn gave him a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, they've been trying to take Pikachu from me ever since we started traveling with Brock and Misty in Kanto," Ash groaned with annoyance at the all too many memories of Jessie, James and Meowth.

"Wow, to think that this is still happening," Dawn nervously laughed. "That is beyond creepy."

"Yeah, it is, but back to the story. After Pikachu blew up Team Rocket's giant machine, Professor Birch led May and I back to his lab to heal him. The next day, May asked if she could travel with me, which actually surprised me because I thought that she was still mad at the whole bike incident," Ash said to his coordinator friend. "From that point on, our friendship blossomed and grew as we traveled together. And now May is my best friend."

"That's really adorable, Ash," Dawn smiled at him. "Was May a natural when she first started coordinating? I mean, she is so amazing that I can imagine that May won her first contest easily."

"Actually Dawn, May started her journey as a Pokémon trainer like myself," Ash said to Dawn, who was pretty surprised to hear that about the 'Princess of Hoenn.' "It wasn't until after we went to the Contest Hall in Rustboro City at the beginning of our journey that she decided to become a coordinator."

Ash smiled as he recalled that memory in Rustboro City. At first he was surprised to hear May's new ambitions, but once he saw that certain fire light up in her eyes, he knew without a doubt that he would support her all the way.

"She wasn't the best when it came to Pokémon, so I took her under my wing and taught her everything I knew about them and trained with her every day," the auburn eyed trainer said to Dawn, who had an awed expression on her face. "She is the best coordinator I've ever got witness with my own eyes - eh, no offense, Dawn - and I'm really proud to have known her."

"Awww, that's so romantic, Ash!" Dawn yelled out, startling the Pokémon trainer.

"Huh, romantic? What are you talking about? I was just helping May," the confused boy replied to Dawn, who sweat dropped at his denseness.

'_Leave it to Ash to not know when he's being romantic even if it hit him right in the face,'_ the young coordinator sighed in her head.

"So that's the story of how I met, May," Ash concluded as he looked up at the beautiful Hoenn sky, which caused him to look at the sun. The day was getting darker as the sun was beginning to set in the distance upon a… town?

'_Wait, town? No, that isn't just any town, that's Petalburg City!' _the Pokémon master yelled in his head.

"Dawn, look! It's Petalburg City!" Ash pointed his finger in the direction of the setting sun, causing Pikachu to fall off his shoulder. "Come on, let's go!"

Ash laughed as he broke into a full sprint down the road, leaving Pikachu and Dawn behind him.

"H-hey, wait for us, Ash!" Dawn yelled out to the trainer, who did not stop and kept running.

"Pika pika!" the electric type also yelled out but to no avail. Dawn sighed as she picked up Pikachu and ran in the direction of the excited Ash.

* * *

May Maple was sitting on her bed inside her room in Petalburg City. She sighed and thought about the last few weeks. The sapphire-eyed coordinator won the Johto Grand Festival and finally achieved her dream of being a Top Coordinator. It was the best moment of her young career as a Pokémon Coordinator. However, that wasn't the reason why she wasn't feeling as excited as she should have been.

The real reason was because May hadn't heard from her friends in Sinnoh after she won. She hadn't seen or called them in over a year; in fact, she lost all communication with them, which left her disappointed. The coordinator really missed them, especially her best friend Ash.

'_Ugh, I should have tried calling them before competing in the Grand Festival,' _the brunette scolded herself as she fell back on her bed.

May reached next to her nightstand and grabbed a shiny object that looked incomplete. It was her piece of the Terracotta Ribbon; the other piece belonging to her best friend. This was her good luck charm, but at the same time, it was more than just that. The ribbon was a remembrance of May's adventure through Hoenn and Kanto, specifically with a certain _someone_.

"I wish I knew where you guys are right now," May said to no one while looking at the ribbon. After all that time, it still sparkled in a way that was unexplainable.

All of a sudden, May heard the doorbell of her home ring, causing the brunette to snap out of her thoughts. Wondering who would be at the door so late in the afternoon, the brunette placed the ribbon back on the nightstand. May came out of her room and went downstairs to see who it was. She opened the door and her eyes widened in shock as a tired figure smiled at her.

"Hey May," he said as he tried catching his breath.

May responded with her mind frozen in shock, "A-ash…?"


	2. Chapter 2

May could not believe her eyes; standing right in front of her was the person she was just thinking about, Ash Ketchum. He finally recovered his breath and smiled.

"Hey May? Um…. Are you okay?" asked her best friend, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. May was standing completely still, the deafening silence around the two making Ash really uncomfortable.

'_No. Freaking. Way.' _May asked herself as she rubbed her eyes. _'This can't be him. Ash is probably somewhere in the middle of the Sinnoh region right now. I must be hallucinating or something.'_

"May?" Ash looked at her with concern. He reached his arm out and gently touched May's arm, startling the now wide eyed girl.

'_Maybe she thought I forgot about her and now she's mad at me…'_ the auburn eyed trainer sadly thought as his arm pulled back.

Ash sighed and placed his other hand on May's shoulder. "Listen, May. I'm really sorry about––"

The sapphire-eyed girl quickly pulled Ash into a hug, interrupting his apology. Ash eventually returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her while smiling as he breathed in her sweet, strawberry scent again. It had been a long time –– more than a year if he remembered correctly –– since they last saw each other face to face.

Ash felt his shirt get slightly wet and looked down at May. She also looked up and had a smile across face with little tears dripping down her cheeks. The coordinator's deep blue eyes looked up into warm chocolate brown eyes.

'_Crap! I think I made her cry!'_

"May, I-I'm sorry…" Ash awkwardly apologized. He didn't know what to do when it came to situations like this.

"Don't be, Ash," May laughed though her tears. "I should be the one saying sorry for getting you all wet."

The coordinator quietly wiped her tears away for a moment. She wasn't one to cry often and it usually irked her when she let her emotions get the best of her. However, this was an exception considering the situation she now found herself in.

"I really missed you, May," Ash broke the silence, still holding May in his arms.

The girl looked up from the embrace and smiled at the sincerity of his words. "I really missed you too, Ash…"

The two continued their affectionate embrace as Dawn made her way around the corner with Pikachu.

"I swear, Pikachu, your trainer is so reckless sometimes," Dawn sighed to the electric type.

Pikachu nodded in agreement and also sighed, "Pika."

"Now where is he?" Dawn scanned the area to try and find the Pokémon Master. She moved her eyes everywhere until they landed a peculiar spot. "_Gasp. _Pikachu, look over there!" Dawn pointed out a strange figure across the street with her finger.

"Pika?" Pikachu responded and cutely turned his head to the side.

The strange figure turned out to be his trainer and their former traveling companion May. The two of them were hugging one another, but more surprisingly, it looked like Ash was _really enjoying_ the moment.

"Awww! They look so cute like that!" Dawn screamed at the mouse on her shoulder, causing him to sweat drop.

"Come on, Pikachu," Dawn excitedly said to him. "Let's go say hi to May!"

Dawn rushed up to the hugging pair, who were caught up in their little moment to actually notice her. Although she felt bad about interrupting their moment, Dawn coughed to get their attention.

"A-hem."

As soon as they heard the cough, Ash and May snapped back into reality and looked at the smiling girl.

"Hey guys," the young blunette smirked, innuendo clear in her voice.

Ash and May quickly let go of each other and looked everywhere but the direction of each other.

'_Arceus, my face feels like it got hit by Infernape's Flamethrower attack…' _ Ash thought as he secretly glanced at May. Her face looked as red as his own and she was avoiding awkward eye contact with him.

"Uhhh… What's up, Dawn?" Ash lamely asked; his face flushed. He could tell that Dawn was getting a kick out his embarrassment at the moment.

"Oh, I just want to say hi to May too, if you don't mind," the blunette smiled all too sweetly.

"Oh… Right," Ash replied and stepped to the side.

"Anywayyyy," Dawn drew out the last syllable for emphasize, knowing that her two friends were uncomfortable; "It's been such a long time, May! I can't believe it!"

"I know! It's so great to see you, Dawn!" the Top Coordinator laughed as the two hugged one another. "I missed you so much."

"Pika chu!" Pikachu exclaimed to May, who finished her hug with Dawn.

"Hi Pikachu, how are you?" May giggled as she picked up the electric mouse. Pikachu started to rub May's cheek affectionately with his own in response.

"I missed you too, Pikachu," the sapphire-eyed girl smiled. "Has Ash been taking good care of you?"

"Pika," Pikachu nodded and jumped onto May's shoulder, causing her to giggle again.

"May," Dawn called to catch her attention, "We have soooo much to catch up on. Oh and I need to tell you about all that's happened lately since you left the Sinnoh region. Oooooo, and we have to go shopping together and––"

"As awesome as that sounds," the young trainer interrupted as he rolled his eyes, "I think you two should talk about your shopping plans later."

Suddenly, Ash's stomach grumbled very loudly, making him rub the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Typical Ash," May rolled her eyes as she smiles. "At least it's good to know that you haven't changed one bit."

"Actually May, I think that's a bad thing," Dawn said as she frowned. "Usually he would eat _all_ the food we had in a couple of seconds."

Ash rubbed the back of his head out of embarrassment once more and smiled at the two girls. At least Dawn had another female to complain to instead of him.

"How about we go inside the house so Ash can get something to eat?" May suggested, stepping aside to let her friends in.

Her excitement was so great that she wanted badly to spend time with her friends, no questions asked about how or why they appeared out of the blue in front of her doorsteps.

"Sounds great, May," Ash replied as he entered the house. "It's been a while since the last time I saw your family."

Dawn was very excited to go inside the Petalburg Gym. She pushed Ash out of her way to get a better look. "Ooo, I've never been inside the home of a gym leader before! Your house is so beautiful, May!"

"Thank you, Dawn," May smiled at her friend.

Another feminine voice from the adjacent room spoke.

"May, who was at the door?" the woman asked as she came out of the kitchen. "_Gasp._ Ash! How are you, dear?"

"Hello Mrs. Maple. I'm doing well," Ash smiled warmly at one of his mother figures. To be exact, this woman was Caroline Maple. She was the loving stay at home wife of the Petalburg Gym and a very friendly person.

"Ash, you know how I feel about you calling me that. Please call me Caroline," stated Caroline politely as she hugged Ash for the first time in years. "It's nice to see you and Pikachu again."

"Chaaa," the electric mouse tiredly waved its paw from May's shoulder. It then jumped off and hopped on the comfortable-looking couch to sleep.

When Caroline pulled back from the hug, she finally noticed the blunette standing right next to May.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. My name is Caroline; I'm May's mother," she said as she kindly extended her right hand.

"It is nice to meet you, Caroline," Dawn smiled and accepted the handshake. "My name is Dawn, and I'm a Pokémon Coordinator from the Sinnoh region."

"Oh, so _you_ are Dawn," Caroline also smiled, "May has told me a lot about you. You are a very talented girl."

"Thank you, Caroline," replied Dawn, giggling at the sudden praise.

"Hey Mom?" May started as the two girls let go of each other's hand. "Would it be okay for Ash and Dawn to have dinner with us tonight?"

Caroline grinned at the three teenagers and nodded. "Of course it would be okay. You two are welcome here anytime, Ash and Dawn."

"Awesome! Thanks Mom," May said with a lot of excitement. This was going to be the first time in many months since she ate a meal with her friends.

"By the way Ash, where is Brock?" Caroline questioned. "I dearly miss him as well."

"Oh, Brock said that he wanted to go back to Pewter City to take a break from our Sinnoh adventure," the raven haired trainer replied. "He also needed to check on the Pewter Gym since he left his brother Forrest in charge."

"That's too bad," Caroline sadly noted. "It's been years since I last saw him. He was an excellent helper in the kitchen."

"Speaking of meals, is dinner ready yet, Mom? I'm starving," groaned her hungry daughter.

At the same time, Ash's stomach grumbled again. The trainer sheepishly laughed at the rudeness. "Yeah, me too. Can we please eat now, Caroline?"

Dawn smiled at the pair. "You guys are a bunch of Munchlaxes."

Caroline giggled at the blunette's remark. "In just a few more minutes, you two, the food is almost ready. Ash, can you please tell Norman that it's dinnertime? He's in the gym right now."

"Sure thing, Caroline," Ash grinned and went out the kitchen door, thus leaving the three females to themselves.

"Would you two girls like to help me finish last minute preparations on the food?" Caroline asked as she took out extra aprons.

"Okay!" Dawn and May replied at the same time, reaching out for the aprons.

May was very excited as she helped her mother and Dawn. However, one thing was on the Top Coordinators mind as she worked.

'_Wait, I forgot to ask what they're doing here,' _she thought to herself. _'I mean, I'm happy to see them, but this is very surprising, even for the most spontaneous boy I've ever met.'_ As she continued working, May couldn't help but think that something was going on.

* * *

Ash walked down the hallway of the Maple household. He had forgotten how big and roomy Norman's house was since it connected straight to the Petalburg Gym.

"Now if I remember correctly, the entrance to the gym should be… Ah, here it is!" Ash stated when he found a big door with the symbol of the Petalburg Gym badge, the Balance Badge, on it.

Ash knocked on the door, but received no response. Hoping that he was not interrupting anything important, Ash gently pushed the door open. As soon as he did that, a ground shaking noise erupted through the Petalburg Gym. The young trainer struggled to keep his balance.

A large ape Pokémon was causing this disturbance. "SLAKING!"

"Stop using Earthquake, Slaking. That's enough," a calm and collected man said from the shadowy part of the gym. "It seems that we have a challenger today."

As soon as Slaking stopped, the man started to walk towards the light and revealed his confident form. This man was famous throughout the entire Hoenn region, especially in the areas near Petalburg City, like North Petalburg. He was a powerful man who loved Pokémon as much as he loved his wife and children. The man was also an important father figure in Ash's life. His name was Norman Maple.

"I am Norman, the gym leader of the Petalburg Gym, and I accept your challenge. Prepare yourself."

However, when Norman saw the face of his challenger, his eyes widened and he dropped his tough guy act. "Ash Ketchum, is that you?"

"Hi Norman," replied Ash, who was still recovering from Slaking's attack. "Yeah, it's me."

Norman walked up to the boy and extended his hand. "It's great to see you again, Ash."

"It's great to see you too, Norman," Ash chuckled as he shook the man's hand and turned to the large ape. "It's also nice to see you, Slaking."

"Slaking," the large ape Pokémon replied as he yawned and fell asleep on the floor.

"Anyway, what brings you to Petalburg City, Ash?"

"Well, I wanted to see how your family was doing," Ash explained. "My friend Dawn and I wanted to spend some time with May since we haven't seen her in a while."

"Oh, is this Dawn the girl that May told Caroline and I about? The one from the Sinnoh region?" asked the gym leader.

"Yeah. She wanted to come along with me to visit you guys."

Norman nodded in response. "Ahh I see, so where is Dawn anyway? I would like to introduce myself to her."

"She's helping Caroline and May in the kitchen right now," Ash pointed out. "By the way, Caroline said that it's time for dinner."

Norman looked at the clock in the gym and laughed. "Wow, I didn't even notice that it is the evening already. I've been waiting for a challenger all day."

"Don't worry, Norman," Ash smiled at his father figure. "Pikachu and I will battle you again if you want."

"If you insist, Ash. I haven't had a challenger in weeks," the gym leader laughed. "It's been a while since someone came to the gym."

Norman heard his stomach grumble, his cheeks becoming red. "Let's go get some food first."

Ash and Norman walked out of the gym and down the hallway. When they reentered the portion of the building that was the residence of the Maple family, the two men headed straight to the kitchen where they found the three girls sitting at the table waiting for them. Glorious and mouth-watering entrees also waited for them on top of the table.

"It's nice of you boys to _finally_ join us," Caroline a little too sweetly replied.

Upon seeing the look of his wife's face, Norman quickly apologized and put his hands in the air. "Sorry, honey. Ash and I were just catching up. I did not forget about dinner if that's what you were thinking."

He moved towards his wife and kissed the top of her head lovingly. Caroline's initial anger melted away and she smiled once again. Norman sighed in relief and sat right beside her as Ash followed right behind him.

"So…" Norman started as he extended his hand to the blunette, "you must be Dawn Berlitz. May has told us a lot about you."

"Yes I am," Dawn stated with smile and accepted the hand. "And you must be May's dad."

"That, I am. I heard that you are the coordinator who beat my little girl in the Wallace Cup, right?" Norman asked suspiciously.

Dawn became nervous when she heard question and didn't know how to respond. "Well I, u-umm…"

"I'm joking, Dawn," Norman laughed. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Norman Maple."

"Oh. It's nice to meet you too, Norman," Dawn replied with a giggle of relief.

"By the way, where's Max?" Ash interrupted as he turned his head to see if his old travel companion was on his way to the kitchen.

"Max just started his journey earlier this week," May explained. "He was very excited to finally start his own journey just like you, Ash."

"Yes, he wanted to begin his adventure as soon he turned ten years old," Norman laughed with pride in his voice. "He chose Treecko to be his starter Pokémon when Professor Birch arrived and immediately started towards Rustboro City."

And with that said, the five people grabbed their utensils and dug into the food. However, it more of an eating contest between Ash and May, who really enjoyed themselves while the other three people shook their heads and sighed at the sight.

When the food was all gone, Ash rubbed his stomach in pleasure and yawned in satisfaction. "Thanks for the meal, Caroline. It was a nice change from Brock's cooking."

"Well I'm glad you liked it, Ash," Caroline smiled at the boy.

"Yeah, thanks Mom," May said as she accidently burped and apologized with a light blush.

"Thank you, Caroline," Dawn politely said to the mother and then stared at her two friends. "But I couldn't really enjoy the food since these two ate most of it."

Ash and May looked at each other and sheepishly laughed.

"Sorry, Dawn," the Pokémon master turned his attention to Dawn and apologized. "May and I have huge appetites. You should have seen the look on Brock's face whenever he cooked for us during our adventure through the Hoenn and Kanto regions."

"By the way, how did you and Dawn get to the Hoenn region, Ash?" Norman questioned.

"Oh well you see, after the Sinnoh League, Dawn and I bought two tickets for the S.S. Aqua from the Lily of the Conference Island to Slateport City. We've been walking all day to get to Petalburg City."

Normand nodded his head. "Speaking of the Sinnoh League, did you go far in it this year?"

"Well actually, I… hehe," Ash started but was flustered to continue. He didn't want to brag to a long time gym leader about his instant rise up the power ranks.

"Ash beat Cynthia and won the Lily of the Valley Conference!" Dawn yelled out, thus saving Ash from having to say it.

The members of the Maple family were shocked after they heard that. Norman and Caroline always knew Ash had the potential to be a Pokémon master, but it seemed unlikely because of his youth.

May was just as surprised as her parents, but smiled largely after recovering from the shock. The Top Coordinator sprang up from her seat and tackled the Pokémon master into a big hug, who had to stand up to keep the both of them from falling over.

"Congratulations Ash!" May happily said as she felt Ash's arms wrap around her.

Ash felt his face get red as he returned the sudden embrace. "T-thanks May."

'_Why is my face burning again?'_ Ash asked himself. This was really confusing him.

When they finished their hug, the two of them returned from to their seats. They noticed that May's parents were smiling at them while Dawn was smirking. May blushed at the facial expressions and looked at the ground.

Ash was as dense as a rock and became very confused by the various reactions. "Are you guys alright? Did something happen?"

"Oh, it was nothing, Ash," Caroline assured with a giggle. "Tell us, how did you defeat Cynthia?"

"It was amazing, Caroline!" Dawn interrupted. She was very proud to have seen Ash win it all and was not ashamed to announce it. "The battle came down to Ash's Gible and Cynthia's Garchomp."

As a fanatic of Pokémon battles, Norman was intrigued by the matchup of the two dragon types. "How did your Gible defeat a fully trained and experienced Garchomp?"

"Actually Norman, the battle was pretty intense so near the end. I didn't think that Gible could withstand any more attacks," the raven haired boy explained. "I was just by a stroke of luck that Gible and I managed to defeat Cynthia's Garchomp."

"Huh? What do you mean, Ash?" May asked.

"My Gible is pretty strong. He managed to learn the move Draco Meteor without evolving, but he wasn't the best when it came to using it," Ash laughed as he remembered when Gible accidently burned Dawn's Piplup with a meteor gone astray. "Gible never perfected the move, but when the time came when we needed it the most, Gible managed to use Draco Meteor accurately on Cynthia's Garchomp."

Everyone listening except Dawn was surprised to hear that. Ash's Pokémon were some of the most powerful ones they have ever encountered. But then again, they were not as surprised few moments later when they remembered that the trainer of these Pokémon was after all _the_ Ash Ketchum.

"Congratulations, Ash. That sounds like a great battle," Norman said with pride.

Caroline got up from her seat and kissed the forehead of the boy she considered as her second son. "Great job, Ash. Max is going to be very excited when he learns of this."

Ash sheepishly laughed at all the praise he was receiving. Wondering how the blunette's adventure was going, May turned to Dawn.

"So Dawn, how have your contests been going lately?"

"Oh, I already have the five ribbons needed to compete in the Sinnoh Grand Festival," Dawn stated proudly, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a burgundy colored case.

"Whoa, that's awesome Dawn! Congratulations," the Top Coordinator stated as she examined her friend's contest ribbons.

"Thank you May. The Sinnoh Grand Festival is going to be held at Lake Valor, you know, the place where we competed in the Wallace Cup."

The brunette stood up from her seat and hugged the blunette warmly. This was a big feat that both girls managed to accomplish in their first year as Pokémon Coordinators.

After the hug ended and the two Maple parents congratulated Dawn, May returned to her seat and asked her friend a question that had been on her mind for a while.

"Hey Dawn, I have something to ask you. What are you and Ash doing in Petalburg City?"

"Oh, well Ash wanted to see you, May. Traveling here was all _his_ idea," Dawn turned and sweetly smiled at the young trainer. "I wanted to come with him to visit you since the Grand Festival isn't starting for a couple more months."

"Really?" May questioned with surprise. She also turned to Ash, who then began to rub the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah really. I saw the latest issue of Coordinators Weekly with your face on it after the Sinnoh League ended," Ash explained to May, who then became confused. "Congratulations on winning the Johto Grand Festival, May."

It seemed like a hugging festival was happening in the Maple house since this time, Ash was the one who stood up from his seat to give May a hug. May was surprised at first and blushed at the surprise contact, but returned the hug anyway. When he pulled back, Dawn also congratulated her and gave her another hug.

"Thanks guys," the brunette sincerely said with a smile on her face. "I wanted to call you to tell you, but I didn't know where you two were for over a year."

"I would have found out one way or another, May," Ash responded, returning the smile. "After all, you're my best friend."

Dawn and Caroline giggled after hearing that unexpected response.

"Aww! That's very sweet of you to say, Ash," the blue haired coordinator gushed. Ash didn't hear the teasing in Dawn's voice and shrugged it off.

"So you guys came all the way here to congratulate me?" May asked with a grin. "You didn't have to come all the way to Petalburg City for me. You and Dawn could have just called me, Ash."

"Actually May, the reason that Dawn and I came here instead of calling is because we want to spend time with you. My late gift to you is going to be spending a few days here in Petalburg City so we can hang out like the good ole' days."

After turning to Dawn, who smiled and nodded in confirmation, May felt her face split into a smile bigger than the one she wore after winning the Johto Grand Festival.

"That sounds great!" the Top Coordinator exclaimed, energy surging through her. She was finally going to spend some real quality time with her friends, free of contests or battles. "This is a great present; thanks guys!"

"Pika…" a small, yet tired voice squeaked from the entrance of the kitchen. When Dawn turned around, she saw the electric mouse yawn and jump into her lap. She took a quick look at her Pokétch and frowned. Then, she turned her attention back to May.

"Anytime, May," the blunette replied with a smile but frowned once more. "It's getting pretty late though. Ash and I need to go now."

"You're right," he responded with a similar expression on his face but smiled in politeness. "Thank you for the food, Norman and Caroline, but Dawn and I have to go to the Pokémon Center now. If we don't, they might run out of rooms."

"But there's plenty of room here," May blurted out quickly. "You can sleep in Max's room, and Dawn can sleep on the guest futon in my room."

Ash thought about for a second. The thought of sleeping in a big house was more appealing than the smaller rooms of the Pokémon Center, but he didn't want be a bother to the Maple family.

"That would be great, May. But I wouldn't want to impose on your parents."

"Nonsense, Ash. You and Dawn are welcome here anytime," Caroline stated with a warm smile.

"Caroline is right. It's the least we can do to repay you for watching over May and Max when you three traveled together." Norman assured.

"Well…" Ash hesitated and glanced over at Dawn. The blunette nodded in agreement with the idea of staying over at the Maple residence. A hot bath in privacy sounded a whole lot better than, _yuck_, public housing. Especially considering that she had been walking all day through the tropical and humid routes of Hoenn.

"That'd be great. Thank you, Norman and Caroline," the trainer said with gratitude.

"Yeah, thank you, too," Dawn stated with a smile. _'Hot bath, here I come!'_

May grinned in silence, but in her head, the Top Coordinator was extremely thrilled. _'YES! I can't believe Ash and Dawn are staying here for the next few days!'_

"Well, it's getting late you three," Caroline yawned and blushed in embarrassment. "You should all go to bed now if you want to spend a lot time together tomorrow."

Norman and Caroline said goodnight to the three teens and went up the stairs to their bedroom.

* * *

After the parents left, the trio moved to the living room area where they talked about various things and watched a movie.

"How about you tell us how you won the Johto Grand Festival now, May," Ash asked later that night. He was glad that he got to be the mentor and best friend of the winner of such a special event.

"Okay, but it probably won't be as exciting as your league championship," the Top Coordinator replied with modesty. "It all started with me going up against Soledad in the Double Battle Round after my appeals. I used Blaziken and Glaceon against her Lapras and Pidgeot, but she was really close to beating me."

Ash nodded his head as he was listening while Dawn was paying attention with extra detail. It's not every day that one gets to hear a Top Coordinator tell their story or, for that matter, be one of their best friends.

"I used the technique that you and Dawn showed me before I left the Sinnoh region after the Wallace Cup," May said as she smiled at her friends. "Blaziken's Counter Shield prevented Lapras' Hydro Pump from knocking him out. We used the steam created by the fire and water as an advantage to surprise Soledad's Pidgeot with an Ice Beam attack and a Sky Uppercut attack on Lapras."

Ash was pleasantly surprised after hearing May's tale. It wasn't because May defeated Soledad, but rather because May's battle style sounded very similar to his own.

'_That seems more like a Pokémon battle rather than a contest,'_ Ash thought to himself. _'It also sounds like something I'd do.'_

Dawn snapped Ash from his train of thought when she praised May. "Wow, May! I can't believe that you used the Counter Shield in a Grand Festival! That means I have to practice extra hard on it before the Sinnoh Grand Festival starts so my Pokémon can master it too."

May smiled at Dawn's determination and continued. "Anyway, the final round came down between me and ––can you believe the odds? –– Drew."

Ash felt his stomach churn in unpleasantness after hearing _his _name. He didn't know why, but the Pokémon master really disliked Drew. Maybe it was because he looked down on other coordinators and trainers, or maybe it was because he constantly hit on May or made her cry during their adventure through Hoenn and Kanto. Ash had no clue, but one thing he knew for sure was that he did not like the boy from LaRousse City.

Dawn noticed Ash grind his teeth and suspected it had something to do with the mentioning of Drew's name. When Ash told her stories of his past adventures, he would unconsciously clench his fists when he talked about the green haired boy. She never told him, but Dawn believed that Ash was jealous, yet he stubbornly refused to recognize it.

"In the Double Battle, Drew used his Roserade and Flygon against Blaziken and Glaceon. The battle wasn't as exciting as my battle with Soledad though since Drew, who was as cocky as ever, thought that he could beat me with the type disadvantage," May explained, failing to see the mischievous grin that spread on Ash's face.

"I beat him with a quick and powerful battling style against his traditional contest battling style. And that's how I won the Johto Grand Festival," May finished with a smile.

Dawn was struck with wonder after listening to May. The aspiring blunette was very, very grateful to Ash for introducing her to the Princess of Hoenn. But there was one thing on her mind after her wonder faded away. Dawn couldn't help but notice the way May described her battle style. Unlike the Pokémon trainer earlier, the young coordinator wasn't as surprised as he was at the eerie familiarity between May's style and Ash's. The two of them shared so many common traits that this really did not come as a shocker to the blunette.

"That sounds awesome, May! I _have_ to watch the replay of the Johto Grand Festival one day," Dawn said.

"Great job, May. I've really proud of you," Ash added in, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Thanks, Ash," May smiled warmly at the contact. "I couldn't have done it without your teachings."

Dawn grinned at the sight of her two friends. She had never seen a friendship so close before. The three of them leisurely chatted once more until the movie they were watching ended. Afterwards, they decided to go to bed.

Ash yawned as he brought stuff and the sleeping Pikachu with his towards Max's room. He looked at the clock; it was 12:24 A.M. already. Ash knocked on May's door to say goodnight.

"We're going do something awesome tomorrow, so don't oversleep guys," the trainer said to his friends in front of. "That means you, Dawn."

Dawn shrugged off Ash's words and went inside May's room to put down her stuff. A few seconds later, she came out with a fresh pair of pajamas in her hands and a magazine.

"Hot bath, here I come!" the coordinator stated in joy and closed the door to the bathroom. Ash and May laughed at their friend's action and then turned to each other.

"Thanks again for letting us sleep over, May," Ash said tiredly but with a grin. "I'm glad I got to see you again; I really missed you after the Wallace Cup ended."

"I missed you too, Ash," May returned the warm grin. "But now we get to spend some time together again."

"Yeah," Ash yawned in weariness. "Anyway, we better go to bed now. It's getting late."

"Okay, Ash," May replied and opened the door to her room. "See you in the morning."

After fixing Dawn's futon next to her own and changing into her own clothes, May climbed into her bed and started to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

'_*Yawn,* this week is going to be awesome...'_ May thought before closing her eyes and finally falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was beginning to rise over the beautiful metropolis of Petalburg City. One of the sun's rays beamed down into the home of the Maple family, more specifically into the room of May Maple. As soon as the room filled up with light, a sleepy figure quietly yawned.

May stretched her arms and yawned one more time as she rose from her bed. She then looked down next to her bed to see that her blunette friend was no longer sleeping on her guest futon.

'_Hmm, Dawn must be downstairs already,' _May thought as she hopped off her bed.

After taking a quick shower and a change into her clothes, May stood in front of her mirror and examined herself. Deciding that she liked the way she looked, the Top Coordinator moved over to her nightstand, where her prized possession laid. May grabbed her half of the Terracotta Ribbon and smiled.

"I can't believe he actually came to spend a week here," May said to no one in particular as she examined the ribbon in her palm. She sighed in pleasant content, something that the brunette did not have the pleasure of doing in for the past few weeks.

May placed the Terracotta Ribbon back on the nightstand and went downstairs where everyone was in the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning, sweetie," Norman said to his daughter, standing up from his seat. "I'm going to go train in the gym today. I've got to practice just in case someone decides to challenge me today."

Norman stood up and kissed his family while also waving goodbye to Ash and Dawn before he left the kitchen. The Top Coordinator said good morning to her mother, who was busy washing her frying pans.

May moved over and sat down at the table, which had three plates of bacon, eggs, and pancakes on it. Ash was busy stuffing his face with pancakes and bacon while Dawn was shaking her head in disappointment. Pikachu also shook his head right after he finished the last of Dawn's homemade Poffins.

"_Yawn._ Good morning," the sapphire-eyed coordinator stated wearily with a smile.

"Morning," Ash replied with his mouth full of bacon as he reached for his cup, causing Caroline to laugh. It was nice to have someone who really, really enjoyed her cooking.

"Slow down, Ash," Dawn scolded her childish friend. "Honestly, if you keep eating like that, I'm pretty sure you're going to choke one day."

"Sorry, Dawn," the Pokémon trainer apologized and gulped down the large glass of orange juice. "It's just that May's mom makes some of the best food I've ever eaten! It's maybe even better than Brock's cooking."

"Thank you, Ash," Caroline laughed at the boy's praise while placing a plate in front of May. "Help yourself to more if you're still hungry, Ash."

"Awesome, thanks Caroline!"

"At least save some food for the rest of us, Ash!" the blunette pleaded as the auburn eyed boy helped himself to more food.

"Hey! It's not my fault that you're as slow as a Slowpoke!" Ash yelled out while shoving some more pancakes into his mouth. Ash and Dawn started their antics again while May kept laughing as she filled her own plate with the remaining food, leaving none for her fellow coordinator.

Caroline smiled as she poured herself a cup of freshly brewed tea from the stove. The sight of May smiling and laughing with her friends warmed her heart. For the past few weeks, Caroline and Norman were getting really worried about their daughter. They were surprised when May's excitement about winning the Johto Grand Festival did not last long. Now that she was happy again, Caroline was able to relax.

Placing her cup of tea down, Caroline placed a basket full of fresh fruit on the table and grabbed her purse.

"May, I'm going to go to the grocery store today. You three can just leave your dishes in the sink and I'll clean it up when I get back home," Caroline said. "Have fun today, you three; and try not to stay in the house all day."

Caroline waved goodbye to the three friends before heading out the door. After she left, Ash finished up his breakfast and rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. May did the same as Ash and laughed when she saw glanced at Dawn, who pouted after finally noticing that there was no more food.

"May, I asked Ash to save _us_ some food, but you were the one who ended up eating it all!"

"Sorry, Dawn," May giggled at the expense of her other best friend. "Like you said last night; I have the stomach of a Munchlax."

The blunette crossed her arms at first, but sighed in defeat. Her two friends stood up and placed their dishes in the sink.

"Anyway, what's the plan for today?" Dawn asked, reaching for an apple from the fruit basket and biting it.

Not a moment sooner, Pikachu's ear perked up in response to the sound of plates banging in the sink. The electric mouse was still tired from the day before, so he hopped onto May's lap and made himself comfortable.

"Pika…"

The brunette smiled at the softness of Pikachu's fur and petted him. "I suggest that we do something relaxing today. After all, Pikachu is still tired from your guys' trip from the Sinnoh region."

"Actually May, we won't be bringing Pikachu along with us," Ash said with a smile. "I have something else in mind today, and I know that Pikachu wouldn't want to come along."

"Wait, what is it Ash?" Dawn asked.

"Today, we are going on a giant shopping spree."

Ash laughed nervously when May and Dawn looked at each other in surprise after hearing the words he never thought he'd willingly say.

"Did you just say that we are going to go… shopping?" May asked in utter disbelief with her jaw dropped.

Dawn had a similar reaction, choking on her apple and trying to clear her throat. Ash never wanted to go shopping with her when they traveled together through the Sinnoh region; and she was pretty sure that he refused to do so with May when they traveled together considering the brunette's stunned reaction.

"Yeah, May. I said we're going to go shopping." Ash chuckled at his two friends and rubbed the back of his head.

"Wait, are we going to go shopping at _that_ place?" the sapphire-eyed girl questioned, her excitement growing in anticipation.

Ash nodded at his best friend, who then started to squeal in joy like a kid who just entered a candy shop.

"Ash, where are we going to go?" Dawn started, confused at what was happening.

"We're going to go to the Petalburg City PokéMall," Ash replied with a smile. "It's one of the largest malls in the entire Hoenn region."

"I haven't been there in forever since I started my contests in Johto, but I know for sure that it's bigger than the Lilycove City Department Store!" May babbled on.

"Really? Whoa," the blunette raised her eyebrows in delight.

It had been months since Dawn last had the opportunity to go on a shopping spree. The company of another girl and a willing Ash (to hold all her stuff of course) made Dawn even more excited. "It looks like we get to start early on our shopping plans, May!"

"Well we better get going now," Ash said as he stood up and took Pikachu from May's lap. "I'm going to leave Pikachu in Max's room." Ash walked out of the kitchen to place the sleeping electric mouse on the bed.

"I'll be right back too!" May said quickly and ran out the kitchen up to her room.

When she entered her room, the brunette grabbed her fanny pack from her bed and was about to rush back down, but a shiny object caught her eye. She moved over to the nightstand and put her good luck charm in her pocket. Even though the contests in Johto were over now, May still liked to bring it with her out of habit. It made her feel safe and protected like some kind of charm. She went back downstairs and saw Dawn and Ash waiting for her.

"Are you ready to go, May?" Dawn asked as she fixed her beanie.

May nodded and the three friends set out for heart of the enormous Downtown Petalburg City where the mall was located.

* * *

"Ooh, this is so exciting! It says here that the mall has six levels of stores and a whole floor dedicated to contests!" Dawn said as she looked at the information of the PokéMall using her Pokétch. She had been searching for information on the mall as soon they started walking. "Which store are we going to go to first? How about the ones on the first floor, or maybe we should go––"

"Calm down, Dawn," Ash interrupted while sweat dropping at his friend. "We're going to be there for as long as you guys want."

"I know that, Ash, but I need to make a plan! There are so many stores to go through!"

"She's right Ash," May chimed in on the conversation. "Don't you remember how big the PokéMall is? The whole thing takes up 48 city blocks."

"Wait, how many times have you gone to the PokéMall, Ash?" Dawn questioned.

"Just once back in the old days. Brock, May, Max, and I went there after I got my Balance Badge from Norman," the trainer explained. "May and Max wanted to go there badly, so we went there but only stayed for 30 minutes since it closing time."

"But this time we get to spend the WHOLE DAY! I just love shopping," May replied with a content sigh.

"Both of you love going _shopping_," Ash said with sarcasm and rolled his eyes. "But I'm the one who ends up carrying all your bags."

"Great minds think alike," Dawn giggled with May joining in on the laughter.

The younger coordinator's eyes moved over to a large figure in the background. Her eyes widened as they came into closer to the gigantic complex.

"Guys, look!" Dawn exclaimed with excitement. "I think that's the PokéMall!"

"You're right, Dawn. That is the famous Petalburg City PokéMall," Ash said with a laugh.

"Oh my Arceus, that place is freaking huge! I can't wait to start shopping; let's go!" Dawn yelled as she sprinted toward the mall.

"Dawn! Wait for us!" May called out and ran after her. She turned around to the boy and playfully winked. "Come on, Ash!"

"Right behind you!" Ash replied as the two friends tried to catch up to their crazed friend.

When Ash and May got inside, the two were stunned in awe. The mall had six levels of amazing stores and shops. The first floor was filled with food shops and miscellaneous kiosks. The next five floors were for clothing of all people, battle items and accessories, Pokémon items, contests, and on top, a newly opened restaurant that looked fairly popular. The Petalburg City PokéMall was a sight to behold.

"Well, it looks like we lost her, May," Ash said sheepishly as he turned his head side to side in search of the blunette. "I guess it's just going to be you and me for now. How about we start on the second floor first?"

"Sure thing, Ash," the Top Coordinator smiled.

Ash and May shuffled through store after store in a calm pace while talking casually. Unlike Dawn, the two friends were in no hurry to go through the entire mall. May was pleasantly surprised when the two of them started shopping. Unlike those other times they went shopping together in Hoenn and Kanto, Ash was patient with her and smiled whenever she turned around to see if he was bored. He even _offered_ to hold her shopping bags, which really surprised the brunette at first.

"Wow, Ash. You haven't complained once yet. That's probably a new record," May giggled as she currently shifted through racks of clothing. The young trainer was off to the side of May, holding onto a few of her shopping bags.

"What kind of best friend would I be if I started complaining?" Ash responded unexpectedly with another smile.

This startled May as she turned to see her smiling friend. He hadn't changed much from the boy she met in Littleroot Town long ago, but his maturity level now was much high than the old Ash's level. She couldn't help but blush afterwards and turned away to hide it. The words he said to her and the way he smiled at her was just too out of character for Ash, who probably didn't know the impact of his words.

"May, are you feeling okay?" a concerned voice interrupted her thoughts.

Ash was confused by May's weird reaction. Did he do something wrong? She had been getting really red lately, but the densest boy alive chose to let it go and speculated that May might've had allergies or something.

"O-of course, Ash," May stuttered, trying to find an excuse. "I'm just… having a hard time finding a nice outfit in this store."

'_Phew! He bought it!'_ May thought as Ash turned his head sideways in curiosity. Instead of dropping the situation, Ash went next to the rack of clothing. It was May's turn to wonder in curiosity as she watched him rummaged through clothes after clothes.

After a couple of seconds, Ash pulled out a nice blue and white blouse and quickly moved over to a box of hair accessories to look through it. He was in such a hurry that the Top Coordinator didn't see what was already in his hands. Ash finally found what he was looking for and smiled in satisfaction, pulling out a beautiful bandana with a Pokéball symbol on it. The bandana matched perfectly with the blouse that he found.

"Here you go, May," Ash said as he presented the items in front of her. "You said you were having a hard time finding an outfit, so I found these. But I'm not sure if this blouse is your exact size."

May was surprised at the boy's gesture at first and, with trembling hands, took them from Ash's.

'_Ash… picked out clothes… for ME?' _May hysterically thought. This day was becoming too weird too fast.

"Try it on, May. I'll wait for you."

The girl nodded absentmindedly as Ash grabbed her shoulders and pushed her towards one of the fitting rooms in the store.

When May went inside the room and locked the door, she hesitantly put on the clothes that Ash chose for her. She remembered when, a long time ago, Misty showed her a picture of Ash dressed up as a girl to get into the Celadon Gym. His fashion sense was not the greatest when it came to girls.

When she finished changing, May turned around to the mirror and gasped. She hated to sound conceited or anything, but May thought that she looked great. The blue blouse fitted tightly in a good way; making the curves of her body stick out more instead of making her look fat (which would have been a total nightmare). It was the perfect size.

The blue bandana on May's head matched perfectly with her new shirt. But what stood out the most was that May's brilliant sapphire eyes shone even brighter than before. May did a little twirl just to make sure that she liked her look and stepped out of the room to show Ash.

Ash smiled warmly at May when came out of the room. "That looks great on you, May."

"Thanks, Ash," May replied with the same smile. "I didn't know that you had such great taste! I'm going to have to take you with me more often whenever I shop."

"Hehe, umm, no thanks May," Ash nervously laughed, not really expecting such praise. "But I'm glad you like the clothes. I thought that you'd like something like that since you love wearing these types of clothes."

"Oh, you're right, Ash," May laughed when she realized how similar it looked like her other two outfits. "I guess you know me really well."

"How about we finish up here and then go to the fifth floor? That's the one that specializes in everything contest related."

"Sure! Give me one second," May hastily said and ran back to the fitting room.

After changing back into her old clothes and paying for her clothes, Ash and May went up to the fifth floor, which was already packed with Pokémon Coordinators of all ages. All around the floor, Coordinators were talking with one another and buying various items; others were laughing and telling one other of their adventures. Unlike the other floors, this one was more of an open market rather than a multi-shop complex. Besides being at an actual region Grand Festival, this place was a Pokémon Coordinator's paradise.

A middle-aged coordinator was walking towards the elevator of the floor, when suddenly he dropped all his bags in shock when he saw the two teens standing just a few feet away from him.

"OH MY ARCEUS! LOOK EVERYONE! ITS MAY MAPLE!" the man screamed like a little fangirl.

A deafening silence swept through the entire fifth floor of the PokéMall with every face turning towards the elevator.

"Whoa, that's _the_ May Maple! The Princess of Hoenn and winner of the Johto Grand Festival!" A young man's voice broke out from the silence.

"She's also the daughter of our gym leader Norman!" the voice of a middle-aged woman echoed.

May was very frightened as all eyes were upon her. She loved it when people recognized her, but ever since she won the Grand Festival, fans constantly mobbed the Top Coordinator. She didn't like it when that happened; however, May wanted to please all the fans who cheered for her, so she never complained. But still, these people were _insane_! They would do anything for an autograph, ANYTHING.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, the horde of people ran towards the girl and boy.

"Ms. Maple, sign my issue of Coordinators Weekly!"

"Can you give me some tips on coordinating first, Ms. Maple?!"

"Take a picture with me before that, Ms. Maple!"

May closed her eyes and prepared herself to be practically ripped apart by the fans. However, she felt a hand grab her own and tug her. May opened her eyes to see Ash in front of her and shielding her with a protective stance. He held a Pokéball in his other hand as the mob suddenly stopped in place.

"Leave May alone," Ash stated with a calm and mature voice. "If you don't, I'll be forced to use my Pokémon on you. And they won't hold anything back."

"Who's that?" A voice came from the crowd.

"Wait, he looks like the guy who won the Sinnoh League!"

"Crap, that _is_ him!"

"No way! Can I get his autograph too?!" More voices yelled out.

"Didn't you hear him? He's going to send out his Pokémon on us!"

Ash did not budge as a dark expression crossed his face; he wasn't playing around. After a few rude grumbles from the gigantic crowd, the horde of fans dispersed and went back to what they were doing before.

Ash smiled in satisfaction and turned towards May. "I guess they're not going to bother you now, May."

May returned the smile and sighed in relief. "_Phew,_ what a relief! I thought that they were going to mob us."

"Yeah, no kidding," the trainer chuckled, but noticed a sort of fearful look in May's eyes. They were staring straight at the Pokéball in his hand.

"Oh, don't worry about what I said earlier, May. I would never use my Pokémon to hurt people; it was more of a bluff," Ash reassured.

"That's good to know; you were such an awesome hero back there," the brunette playfully teased.

"Tch, I'm _always_ awesome, May," the Pokémon master responded with the same playfulness as May, unconsciously squeezing her hand.

The two laughed again, but then suddenly May's eyes widened and she turned her head around.

"What's wrong, May?" Ash questioned with confusion.

The girl quickly glanced at the boy and then at his hand.

Ash then remembered that he was holding May's hand tightly and immediately let go. The Pokémon master began to blush just as much as May was and picked up the bags he had dropped earlier in order to help the brunette. "Eh… S-sorry about that."

'_Ugh. My face feels like an oven again. Why does this keep happening to me?'_

"Don't worry about it, Ash," May broke the boy out of his thoughts. "Thanks for protecting me back there."

"No problem, May," Ash replied as his face cooled down. "I hate it fans do that. After the Lily of the Valley Conference ended, this happened to me almost every day until Dawn and I left the Sinnoh region. I'm just glad people here didn't recognize me so quickly."

"Yeah," the brunette giggled. "At least we can continue in peace now."

As soon May finished, her eyes spotted a glistering item in the glass compartment of a counter across from them. May's legs moved by themselves as she stared at the alluring object and stopped after she arrived at the counter.

"Look, Ash!" May finally said. "It's the newest version of the Pokétch! And it's blue, too!"

"You're right, May," Ash replied as he bent down to get a closer look at the glass compartment. "Whoa, 10,000 Pokédollars! It says here that it's a special edition Pokétch. I think that it even has more apps installed on it than Dawn's."

"Ahh, hello there," a voice said as an old woman approached from the opposite side of the counter. "How can I help you today?"

"Hello," May returned the smile. "I'm just looking at this beautiful Pokétch that's displayed. It's very lovely."

"Why yes it is," the old woman replied. "Would you like to try it?"

"That would be great! Thank you!"

The old woman smiled and unlocked the glass compartment. She took out the blue Pokétch from its stand and handed it over to the excited coordinator, who hastily put it on her wrist.

"Wow! It's so light and feels really durable," May exclaimed as she modeled the Pokétch and turned to Ash. "Not to mention that it looks super cute!"

"That looks good on you, May," Ash said. "I like it. Hmm, it even matches the color of your eyes. In fact, your eyes look brighter now."

May smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Ash."

"Excuse me?" the old woman interrupted. "Do you happen to be May Maple?"

"Y-yes," May replied nervously. She was hoping that this sweet lady wouldn't turn out to be an obsessed fan too.

"Don't worry, I'm not crazy like those other people from earlier today," the old woman assured with a smile. "I'm just honored that the daughter of Norman came to my stand. In fact, I'll lower the price of that Pokétch from 10,000 Pokédollars to 6,000 just for you, sweetie."

"6,000? I'm sorry, ma'am, but that is still too expensive for me," May sadly sighed and removed the Pokétch from her wrist. She extended her hand to the woman and proceeded to give it back. "Thanks for the offer anyway…"

"Actually, she'll take it," Ash interrupted firmly and nodded to the smiling older lady, who nodded back and gently took the Pokétch from May's hand so that she could ring up their purchase.

"Ash, what are you doing?" May quickly whispered to Ash. "I can't afford that!"

Ash smiled at May in response and took out his own wallet. "Don't worry, May. I'll be the one paying for it, not you."

To the Top Coordinator's surprise, Ash handed over the large amount of Pokédollars to the older woman. The sweet lady handed Ash the blue Pokétch, who in turn, handed it to the wide-eyed May.

"Ash, this is really expensive! You shouldn't be spending that kind of money for anyone but yourself," May scolded her friend, who started chuckling.

"Don't worry, May," Ash calmly replied. "Getting the title of Pokémon Master wasn't the only thing I won after the Sinnoh League. Please keep the Pokétch, okay? This is just something to you to remind you that I really care for you. A lot."

The Top Coordinator's face grew slightly red again after hearing Ash. This was just another unexpected thing that Ash did.

"Thank you, Ash, but you didn't have to buy this to show me that you care. I already knew that." May sweetly said as she gave the raven-haired teen a hug.

"You're welcome, May," Ash replied with another smile. "How about you put it on now?"

May placed her Pokétch back on her wrist and turned the old woman, who watched the entire scene between the two teenagers.

"Thank you for lowering the price, ma'am. This is such a beautiful Pokétch!"

"Sure thing, dear. Thank you for shopping at my stand. By the way, you and your boyfriend make a very cute couple."

Both Ash and May blushed heavily at the smiling old woman.

"A-actually, we're not a couple…" May stuttered as she tried explaining herself.

"Really? You two look so great together," the woman winked at the blushing pair. "He's such a generous boy. And he already looks like the perfect match for you, sweetie."

"Umm…" Ash started stiffly. How would he be able to respond in such an awkward situation?

"W-we have to go now. Thank you for the Pokétch, ma'am" May quickly said. She wasn't sure how red her face was at the moment, but she knew that it felt hotter than Blaziken's Overheat attack. The girl could only imagine how Ash was responding to their predicament.

The two teens said goodbye to the nice old woman and walked away from the stand to continue their shopping.

* * *

"_Phew_! I'm exhausted now," May said as she fell into a plush seat on the large fifth floor of the PokéMall. It had been a couple hours since Ash and May continued their shopping on the fifth floor. May literally shopped 'til she dropped.

"Why are you the one who's tired?" Ash irritably frowned. He was currently holding quite a lot of shopping bags in one of his hands; all of which belonged to the sapphire-eyed girl. "I'm the one holding all the bags."

"Well you were the one who offered to hold my bags, did you not?" May giggled as the boy sighed in defeat and sat down next to her.

"We better find Dawn soon," Ash wearily stated. "It's already way past lunch time. I'm starving."

"I don't know, maybe she's in––, wait a second. I think I see her!" May stood up from her seat to get a better view. "Yeah, that's her!"

Ash looked around and saw a blue haired girl with a ton of bags in her hands admiring the windows of a Poffins shop.

"Hey Dawn!" Ash yelled out to catch the attention of the coordinator. "Over here!"

The blunette looked around in confusion before finally noticing Ash and May. She happily ran towards her two friends and smiled at them.

"Hey guys," Dawn smiled. "How come you two left me earlier?"

"We didn't, Dawn. Remember, _you_ were the one who ditched _us_," Ash reminded her as a vein on his head popped from anger.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Dawn apologized with embarrassment. "Hey, let's go somewhere to eat. I'm really hungry since you guys didn't save me any food this morning."

"Sure thing, Dawn," May replied. "There just happens to be a really popular restaurant on the sixth floor that opened recently. Its named after my dad; Norman's Barbeque & Grill."

After making Ash hold all of Dawn's bags in his other hand, the three friends made their way to the elevator an up to the sixth floor. When they got there, all three of them were amazed at the view of the restaurant. It was a nice, big restaurant filled with local and tourist diners. The layout of the semi-sophisticated restaurant was similar to that of the Seven Stars Restaurant in Lake Valor of the Sinnoh Region.

A friendly waitress came up to the teenagers and welcomed them. After recognizing the daughter of Norman Maple, the waitress quickly seated them to table with a beautiful view of the downtown area night skyline. After placing their orders and receiving them quickly, the three friends talked about the long and amazing day they had.

"That was great!" Ash burped and sat back in his seat. He ordered so much food that could have easily satisfied a family of four.

May smiled, but then unexpectedly burped too. She also ordered a lot of food. In fact, May had to stifle a laugh when their baffled waitress asked for a reconfirmation of her order earlier that day.

Dawn sighed at her friends. Although this happened practically _every day_ with Ash, the blunette was still surprised at the lack of table manners from her best girl friend. She never thought she'd meet a girl who could match – and maybe even surpass – Ash's hunger.

"Let me show you guys what I bought today!" Dawn stated as the waitress came and took away their dishes. She placed her shopping bags on the table and showed her findings to her friends, which were mostly new dresses for the upcoming Sinnoh Grand Festival and accessories for herself and her Pokémon.

"Those dresses look so cute, Dawn!" May happily said to her friend. "You have try them on and show me later!"

Dawn grinned and nodded. "It's so nice to hear another girl's opinion instead of listening to Ash complain all the time."

"Actually Dawn, Ash didn't complain once when he was shopping with me," the brunette giggled. "It was really surprising. He even offered to carry all my shopping bags!"

"Really?" Dawn stared at her friend before frowning. "He never did that for me once."

"Me neither until today!" May continued giggling. "For the densest Pokémon trainer alive, he can be really sweet sometimes."

"Hey, I've done nice things before for both of you! And what do you mean I'm the densest Pokémon trainer alive? I'm the _best _Pokémon trainer alive."

Dawn sweat dropped while May sheepishly laughed.

"Never mind, Ash. Anyway, what did you buy today, May?"

May took placed her own bags on the table and showed the blunette what she purchased. The Top Coordinator also bought new dresses (in case she wanted to complete in the Sinnoh contests), other clothes, and more contest-related items. Her eyes spotted the great outfit that Ash picked for her, so May picked it up to show to Dawn.

"Wow May, that's a super cute blouse! And that bandana is adorable too!"

"Thanks, Dawn. Ash picked these out for me," May replied with a smile. Dawn raised her eyebrows; did she just say that Ash picked out that outfit?

"I didn't know that you had a great fashion sense, Ash," Dawn turned to the trainer, but then immediately began to pout. "Hey! How come you never helped ME pick out super cute outfits?"

"Sorry, Dawn, but this was a one time thing," Ash nervously scratched the back of his head.

May laughed again and placed her hand over her mouth. The blunette stopped her pouting as soon as she saw a shiny blue object sparkling on the wrist of her friend's arm.

"Whoa! Is that a new Pokétch, May? It's so beautiful!"

May stopped her laughing and smiled at the blunette. "Why yes it is, Dawn. I got today on the fifth floor. This one is a special edition of the latest Pokétch. It was originally 10,000 Pokédollars, but the saleswoman lowered it to 6,000."

"I think I read about those editions in an old issue of Coordinators Weekly. They did a whole article about them," Dawn replied, her eyes remaining on the watch. "You must have made a ton of money after winning the Johto Grand Festival."

"Actually Dawn, Ash bought it for me…" May said quietly with a blush forming on her smiling face.

Dawn's eyes immediately shot up and stared at May in disbelief, and then shifted to the boy, who smiled in return.

"Are you serious? Ash bought you a Pokétch a 10,000 Pokédollar?"

"Well… yeah but remember the price dropped to 6,000. I told Ash that it was too expensive, but he insisted anyway," May replied with the blush still on her face, now turning to him. "It was very sweet of you, Ash."

The Pokémon Master laughed in embarrassment. "It was nothing, May. I wanted to buy it for you."

"Awww, that's so romantic, Ash!" the blunette yelled. She loved a good romance story, and this was already starting to sound like one. "May's so lucky that she has you."

In response, May became redder than a Shiny Gyarados while Ash stared at Dawn in confusion.

"Romantic? What are you talking about, Dawn?" the boy demonstrated his denseness.

"Oh, nothing," Dawn replied through her fits of giggles.

"H-how about we head home now? It's getting late," May stated quickly. She decided that she did not want to get any more flustered for the day.

The three friends paid for their meals and started towards the Maple household. Today was a long day.

* * *

It was already 11:28 P.M. when Ash, Dawn, and May arrived back at the house. Norman and Caroline were already sleeping at the time.

Dawn quietly waved goodnight to her friends and headed straight for May's room so she could admire the results of her hard shopping efforts.

"Thanks for taking us to the PokéMall today, Ash." May tiredly said to the trainer as they walked up the stairs. "It was great that we got to spend more than 30 minutes there this time."

"No problem, May. I'm glad that you and Dawn enjoyed yourselves," the trainer replied as they stopped in front of May's door. "Anyway, I don't really know what we're going to do tomorrow."

"That's okay, Ash. As long as we do something together, it'll be fine."

"Hehe, you're right. I'll think of something and tell you tomorrow after you wake up. Good night, May," Ash said as he turned towards his own room.

"Wait!" May blurted out hastily, causing Ash to stop moving. "Thanks for buying the Pokétch for me today, Ash. You really didn't have to though," May timidly smiled.

Feeling bold, the Top Coordinator leaned up and placed a quick kiss on Ash's cheek to show her appreciation.

"Good night, Ash," the brunette hurriedly said and rushed into her room.

May closed the door, leaving a stunned Ash frozen in his place. He reached up and touched and the cheek that his best friend just kissed.

'_That felt really… nice?'_ Ash thought to himself. He wasn't quite sure how to describe what he was feeling, but he found himself oddly wishing that he could feel her lips on his skin again. It was a sensation he had never experienced before.

Deciding that it would be best to not over analyze a small, yet unique gesture, Ash turned towards his own room to succumb to sleep – a goofy smile gracing his face.


	4. Chapter 4

It was another beautiful morning in Petalburg City. The Swellows perched peacefully on the quant home of the Petalburg Gym. Everything was so peaceful…

"Pikaaaaa… CHUUUUUU!"

Suddenly, the perching flock of Swellow flew away from the house right as the room of Max Maple quickly filled up with a blinding yellow light followed by a loud scream.

"AHHHHHH! Alright, alright, I'm up already! Stop, Pikachu!" a weary, yet irritated Ash yelled.

The young trainer sat up straight from his bed in shock, literally. His pajamas had been electrocuted to a crisp, which also matched his slightly charred hair that had little electrical currents running through it. Pikachu _really_ did this time.

"Why. Did. You. Electrocute. Me. Pikachu...?" the Pokémon master questioned with wide eyes, stuttering in agony.

The electric mouse embarrassingly rubbed his own head in response. "Pikachu pi kachu, pika pi."

Ash sighed, "I can't help it if I turn over in my sleep. But that Thunderbolt was really uncalled for."

"Pikachu…" the mouse apologized and hopped off of the bed. The raven-haired trainer stripped off the remnants of his barbecued clothes and stared at the clock.

"Great, it's only 6:45," Ash sighed once more. "I might as well get dressed and get something to eat."

After changing into a set of fresh clothes, Ash and Pikachu exited the room and made their way downstairs where a fantastic aroma pleasantly enveloped their noses.

In the kitchen, Caroline was currently cracking eggs in a frying pan while overlooking a toaster, which popped out some fresh slices of toast. The stay-at-home wife did not notice when Ash and Pikachu entered the kitchen.

The magnificent scent of breakfast caused the Pokémon trainer to drool in hunger and anticipation. In fact, Ash was so captivated by the sight that his stomach growled too loudly.

"Huh?" Caroline said and then smiled as she realized where the sound came from. "Oh, good morning, Ash and Pikachu."

"Good morning, Caroline," Ash replied, his eyes glued to the sizzling eyes in her pan.

"Pikachu," the mouse chimed in and hopped on the floor where a bowl of fresh, Hoenn-exclusive Pokéblocks waited for him.

"Hey, where's Norman?" the boy looked around for the Gym leader.

"He wanted to start training early again in case a challenger just _happens_ to come today," the mother sighed.

Caroline finished her cooking, turned off the stove, and started placing food on a plate for Ash. She walked over to the table and gave Ash his plate, who thanked her immediately.

"Thanks, Caroline. This looks great." In an instant, Ash ungracefully dug his fork into the food and stuffed his face, causing Caroline to laugh.

"It's always a pleasure, Ash," Caroline smiled, but then raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Also, what are you doing up so early, dear? I always thought you were one of those boys who enjoy sleeping in."

Ash gulped down the piece of bacon in his mouth before replying. "Oh… Well umm, Pikachu actually shocked me awake. I kind of rolled over him when I was sleeping and he used Thunderbolt on me…"

"Hahaha, t-that's quite a wake up, Ash," Caroline could not hold back the giggles after hearing Ash. She glanced at Pikachu, who also seemed embarrassed. "I was wondering what that sound was. I heard an unpleasant sound earlier this morning, but I just assumed that it was Norman performing his 'intense' training again."

Ash stood up from his seat and placed his seat in the sink. Puzzled by the fact that he ate so little, Caroline watched the boy sit back down and slip into a deep thought.

"Is something wrong, honey? You only had one serving today. Are you feeling sick?"

"Huh? No, I'm fine Caroline," Ash reassured the woman he considered his second mother. "I'm just trying to think about what May, Dawn, and I are going to do today. I still have no clue what we should do, but I want to make sure its something that May will definitely love."

Caroline smiled as she watched the trainer. _'Thank Arceus May found Ash. He's so sweet to her – not like that weird Drew boy.'_

"Hey Ash," Caroline started, snapping Ash from his thought. "If you're still thinking about what you want to do today, I suggest that the three of you go to the Petalburg City Park. It's a very large one just a few blocks away from here."

"Park?" Ash questioned. That sounded like a blain place to go.

"Yes, the park. In fact, it just finished renovations earlier this year. It had been closed down and redesigned after the local people voted for it. That's why the last time you came here, the park wasn't open to the public."

Ash nodded his head but wasn't sure if going to a park was the best option. "Umm, that's a nice idea, Caroline. But going to a park doesn't sound that exciting…"

The mother smiled and explained herself. "Before May left to start her journey, she and Max used to play in the park all the time. They would have so much fun together with the Pokémon there. There was even this one 24-hour food stand there that Norman and I would bring them too. They served the best funnel cake in the entire Hoenn region. May loved them so much that I think that's how she developed a big appetite."

Caroline recalled the memory of her little girl's smiling face covered in powdered sugar surrounded by the local Pokémon of the park.

Ash smiled at the story for he had always wondered why May had such a large sweet tooth.

"Anyway, the park closed when she was only eight and the food stand relocated across town," Caroline sadly explained. "May was devastated and eventually began to dislike Pokémon; and after leaving Petalburg City when she turned 10, she probably forgot all about the park."

'_Oh, that's right!' _Ash said to himself. _'I remember May telling me that she hated Pokémon before we started traveling together since Norman never spent enough time with her because of he was the gym leader. I guess May didn't actually hate Pokémon as much as she thought she did.'_

"Ash, I know for sure that it would mean a lot to May if you take her to the Petalburg Park today," Caroline smiled softly.

"Sure thing, Caroline," the boy replied with a grin of his own.

A light blub lit above Ash's head, causing him to smile larger as a sign that he was proud of the idea he came up with.

"Ash? Umm, are you okay, sweetie?"

"Huh?" Ash snapped out of his little moment. "Oh yeah, I'm alright. I was just wondering… Can you do me a favor, Caroline?"

"Sure thing, Ash." the mother smiled warmly. "What do you need?"

Feeling paranoid that one of his two friends would walk into the kitchen at any minute, Ash stood up from his seat and moved right next to Caroline. He quietly whispered his plan to the stay at home wife, whose eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

"Of course, Ash. I'll be happy to help you out." Caroline stated happily. That boy was filled with so many sweet surprises.

"Thank you, Caroline," Ash responded with a smile. He looked at the clock and saw that it was already 7:00. If he knew his friends well enough – and he did – that meant that the young trainer had about an hour and a half or so to prepare his plans before one of them woke up.

"C'mon, Pikachu," Ash called out to his starter Pokémon, whose ears perked up in response. The mouse jumped onto his trainer's shoulder as Ash ran out the kitchen door. "We'll be back soon, Caroline!"

Caroline, who was preparing to complete Ash's request, turned around in confusion. "Where are you going, Ash?"

But by the time she called out to the Pokémon master, the door of the Maple household hastily closed. Caroline turned back to her work and smiled.

'_You're such a lucky girl, May.'_

* * *

***BEEP BEEP BEEP***

"Dawn, I thought you set the alarm clock to OFF yesterday…" a tired May groaned out as she used her pillow to cover her ears.

May and Dawn were extremely exhausted from the other night. After May hastily said goodnight to Ash, she was greeted by an excited Dawn, who insisted that they model their new clothes for one another. It wasn't until 2:30 in the morning when they finally finished, so they were worn out.

"Ughhh," the brunette let out in irritation when she realized that the blunette wasn't going to get up anytime soon.

May rose from her bed and stretched before finally turning off the alarm clock; it was already 8:31 A.M. Seeing that her best friend was still knocked out after unsuccessful attempts to shake Dawn awake, the Top Coordinator decided to change early.

May went into her own bathroom and changed into her usually attire. Afterwards, the teen went out of the bathroom and was just about to try to awake up her friend again. Before she did so, however, the brunette glanced at her nightstand.

The sapphire-eyed girl walked over to it and picked up two of her valuable possessions; one that she held close to her heart, and the other valuable in terms of money; but nonetheless a very special gift. May slipped on her Pokétch that matched her vibrant blue orbs. She unconsciously smiled as she admired the gift from her best friend. The brunette then clutched her half of the Terracotta Ribbon out of habit and gently rubbed it.

'_I wonder if Ash still has his half of the ribbon…'_ May idly thought to herself. It made her feel special that the person who kept the other half of her ribbon was Ash, and she hoped that it was still in his possession.

The girl also hoped that she did not make Ash feel uncomfortable last night with her surprise kiss. It would have been terrifying to know that she knocked off the strong foundation of their friendship with one small and completely spontaneous peck on the cheek. She shook such awful thoughts away from her head, thinking that it was best if she remained positive and upbeat for the day.

May placed her ribbon half inside her pocket and kneeled down next to the younger coordinator. "DAWN! WAKE UP NOW!"

Dawn shrieked in surprise from the loud wakeup call. "OWW! Why did you scream in my ears, May?!"

The brunette held a hand over mouth to hold back her giggles. "Sorry, Dawn, but you weren't getting up when I tried shaking you."

Dawn fell back on her bed as May continued to smile at her. She loved her best friend, but sometimes the antics of the brunette reminded her too much of Ash Ketchum. Both of them were reckless.

"Get dressed and meet me downstairs when you're done, Dawn," May said to the blunette as she strolled to the doorway and closed the door.

The brunette happily walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where she found her mother peacefully sipping a cup of tea and reading a magazine.

"Good morning, Mom," May cheerfully said as she grabbed a plate to help herself to some newly toasted slices of bread and fresh scrambled eggs.

"Good morning, dear," Caroline returned the cheerfulness. Her daughter was back to same old, gleeful self, which was very relieving for the once worried mother to see. "Is Dawn still sleeping?"

"Nope, she'll be right down after she's finished changing," May responded with food in her mouth. The lack of presence of a certain trainer and mouse did not go unnoticed by May. "Hey Mom, did Ash and Pikachu come downstairs already?"

"Why yes they did; the two of them woke up pretty early. Ash went out of the house twice already, but said that he would be back soon," Caroline smirked as her daughter's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Wait, why did he leave? Did something happen?" the Top Coordinator questioned quickly.

Before she had the chance to answer, Caroline and May were interrupted by the weary blunette girl who entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Caroline," Dawn yawned out and waved to her, sitting next to May at the table.

"Good morning, Dawn," the loving mother smiled in return. "Help yourself to some food, dear."

Dawn nodded in gratitude and grabbed her plate. "Thanks for the rude wakeup call, May," Dawn glared at her friend, who started smiling innocently.

"No problem, Dawn," the girl replied with a small laugh.

Dawn let go of her glare and sighed in defeat. She was one of those girls who just couldn't stay mad at someone for a long time.

"Anyway, where's Ash and Pikachu? I'd think that Ash out of all people wouldn't be the one missing breakfast."

"I don't know," May replied. "My mom was just about to tell me before you came down."

Caroline smiled and took a sip of her cup of tea while looking at the clock. "Why don't you ask him, sweetie? He should be coming back right about… now."

As if it on cue, the doorbell of the Maple household suddenly rang. May got up from her seat and quickly moved to the door, where the raven-haired boy and his Pokémon greeted her.

"Ash!"

"Oh, good morning, May," Ash cheerfully stated with a smile.

"Pikachu," the electric mouse also stated from Ash's shoulder.

Ash continued smiling as he walked into the house and made his way into the kitchen, sitting down at across from Dawn. May followed the boy and returned to her own seat, picking up her fork and continuing where she left off.

"Hey, Ash. Hey, Pikachu," Dawn politely greeted as she nibbled on a slice of toast.

"Morning, Dawn," Ash replied as he stole another slice of toast from her plate. Dawn had gotten used to Ash's antics, so she did not blink an eye at the thievery.

"Ash, what were you doing so early in the morning," the brunette asked after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Oh, I was just preparing for the day," Ash replied nonchalantly while finishing up his little snack. "Finish your food, guys. Today we're going to hang out at the new Petalburg City Park."

"Park?" one girl confusingly asked. What's so exciting about going to a park?

"Park?" the other girl asked in pure surprise and excitement. Years of nostalgic memories flooded into her head, causing the brunette to grin very largely.

Ash looked at Caroline, who smiled in satisfaction. The older woman knew that May would react like this; she could tell her daughter was ecstatic by the mere look on her face. The Pokémon trainer returned the smile and nodded his head in thanks for the idea.

At first, Dawn was confused as to why Ash would want to go to a park. But after watching her best female friend's reaction, the blunette smiled inwardly.

'_So this is all for her, huh?' _Dawn thought to herself. _'Aww! Ash, you're too adorable sometimes!'_

Once May's memories finished flashing through her mind, the brunette jumped up from her seat. "I can't believe that I'd forgotten all about the Petalburg City Park! I haven't been there in years!" May's smile soon faded as she realized something. "Wait a minute, I think that they closed the park down a few years ago too…"

Ash laughed at the sad look on her face. "Actually May, the park just reopened a couple of months ago."

"Is this for real? It's really open?" May questioned, blinking her wide eyes.

"I'm serious, May. The park really is open, just ask your mom."

May turned to her mom, who kindly nodded in agreement. The brunette took a few seconds to take it all in before giggling in sheer happiness.

"Ooh, I can't believe it!"

"Hey, save all that enthusiasm for later, May," the smiling trainer teased.

Dawn grinned softly at the sight of her friends. Maybe going to the park wouldn't be as bad as she originally thought.

"We can go whenever you guys finish eating breakfast," Ash stated.

In a couple of minutes, May eagerly pushed the remainder of her food into her mouth to finish quicker. After observing the, umm, _vacuuming_, Dawn placed her fork down and smacked her head.

"May, if you don't slow down I'm afraid that you're going to evolve into a Snorlax," the younger coordinator sighed. "Same goes for you too, Ash."

May disregarded her friend's words and hastily placed her dish in the sink. She then grabbed the wrist of both her friends and tugged them up to their feet from their chairs.

"H-hey!" the blunette sweat dropped as she tried to free her wrist. Ash also sweat dropped, laughing nervously at May's antics, while Pikachu struggled to keep his balance on his trainer's shoulder.

"Bye Mom!" the Top Coordinator yelled behind her as she forcefully dragged her friends out the front door with her and closed it.

Caroline couldn't help but smile again as she took another sip of her tea and stood up to do her house chores. "That boy is something special…"

* * *

As soon as the three teens and Pikachu left the Maple household, Ash and Dawn struggled to keep up with their eager friend. She wouldn't let go of their wrists as she fast walked, causing the two to constantly trip over their own feet. As soon as the park was in sight, the brunette could not control herself and squealed in delight.

"Guys, look! I can see the park from here!"

"May! Wait for us!" Ash yelled, but to no avail. The excited coordinator sprinted down the block towards the grand park, which was indeed, a grand sight to behold.

The Petalburg City Park was amazingly large with lush, green grass covering every inch of the plain. There were ponds and trees everywhere, which were the homes of a variety of native Hoenn Pokémon. Children with their families and Pokémon spread out across the amazing field, playing games or having lunch under the warm, bright sun. There was even a huge playground area, but the park was so awesome by itself that no one paid much attention to it. The park looked like an exact replica of the old one – the local food stand was the only piece missing. It was an overwhelming sight for the Top Coordinator.

Ash and Dawn finally caught up to May, who stood at the entrance of the park with awe and wonder.

"I can't believe I forgot about all about this park, especially since it's so close to home," May mumbled to herself. She turned around to face her friends. "It even looks bigger than the National Park in the Johto region!"

May turned and grinned largely. "Thank you so much, Ash!"

Ash returned the bright grin. "Don't thank me, May. It was your mom who told me about this place."

"C'mon guys, I'll race you guys to the swings!" Dawn exclaimed suddenly, taking off at full flight from her friends.

May stopped her smiling before playfully winking at Ash and then running towards the empty playground area, surprising Ash and Pikachu. As soon as they caught up to them, the two girls grinned brightly at him from the swings. There were only two sets.

Pikachu jumped onto Dawn's lap, which surprised her but nonetheless did not seem to faze her swinging. The blunette was amazing on the swings; she was going higher and higher, laughing like a little girl as Pikachu tried holding on. May, on the other hand, was having a really hard time trying to gain momentum and put on a stubborn expression as she kicked her feet. Ironically, May was not really a coordinated person and looked as confused as a Psyduck.

Seeing this, Ash swiftly moved over next to her. "Here May, let me help you."

May smiled in gratitude and started giggling as Ash pushed her on the swings.

"C'mon, Ash, higher!" May teased. "Don't tell me you're not so strong after all!"

"Haha, very funny, May," Ash replied sarcastically. The auburn-eyed trainer directed most of his weight into his arms and pushed her all the way to the top.

May was ecstatic each time she reached the top. She felt like a young Taillow soaring through the air for the first time, her hair flowing freely in the fresh Hoenn breeze. The girl couldn't stop blushing and laughing as Ash joined in on the laugher as he pushed. The duo did not notice that Dawn and Pikachu had stopped swinging and were now smiling at them.

"Aww… that's SOO cute!" Dawn whispered to Pikachu before her smile faltered. "But it's too bad that your trainer's as dense as a Graveler, Pikachu."

"Pika pika?" The mouse rubbed the back of his head in confusion. One of the traits he inherited from his trainer was the exact same denseness. He couldn't even see how hard Dawn's Buneary was crushing over him.

Dawn sighed, realizing that she was talking to the partner of _the_ Ash Ketchum. The girl began to pet the electric mouse as she slipped into deep thought the Pokémon Master. Ash was a very frustrating boy to be around for any teenage girl. He did such romantic things without even knowing about it, causing these teens to fall head over heels for him! The girls who flirted with him during his Sinnoh adventure couldn't help but smack their foreheads when coming into direct contact with the dense being named Ash Ketchum.

The blue haired coordinator snapped from her thoughts as she heard a chuckle. The scene in front of her now was of May trying her hardest to push the laughing Ash, who was now on the swing.

"C'mon May, and you thought _I_ wasn't strong?" her best friend rhetorically asked, laughing as the girl continued to struggle.

"Maybe you should cut back on the eating, Ash!" May retorted, still trying to push her friend.

"Well, you eat as much as I do, May. So if I cut back, then you should cut back too," Ash teased before sliding off the seat of the swing and running away from the girls.

"Wait, are you calling me fat?! Ooo, get back here, Ash Ketchum!"

Dawn giggled as she watched her best friend chase down her other one, as if they were lifelong friends. Ash and May were probably closer than any two friends in the world, and Dawn was happy to see them so gleeful.

"Let's try to catch up with them, Pikachu," Dawn said to the mouse on her lap, standing from her seat.

"Pika!" he proclaimed and jumped onto the ground, running towards the direction of the two with Dawn laughing right behind him. The day was already shaping up to be an awesome one.

* * *

"Guys, I'm tired," Dawn whined from the top of a jungle gym. "Can we _please _take a break now?"

The three friends and Pikachu spent the entire day in the Petalburg City Park. They played many games in the park with their Pokémon and thoroughly enjoyed their time under the warm, bright sun. But now, the sun was starting to set on the horizon of Petalburg City, turning the sky blue atmosphere into fiery orange. The other families who also came to the park were already leaving. Even most, if not, all of the local Hoenn Pokémon started to retreat back into trees or swim into their ponds. Everyone was calling it a day. Everyone expect Ash and May that is. The two of them were busy swinging back-to-back on a tire swing before hearing their friend's plea.

"You're done already, Dawn?" May pouted as she swung back and forth. This day reminded her so much of the simpler times before she took on the enormous career path of being a Pokémon Coordinator. She didn't want it to end, especially since she was sharing it with two of her best friends.

"Yes," Dawn huffed and crossed her arms in annoyance. "I don't have the same kind of energy that you and Ash have. Neither does Pikachu."

Dawn gestured to the electric mouse currently sleeping in her lap. He was exhausted from all the games he played with all the local Pokémon and the Pokémon of his friends.

"Hmmm, I guess you're right, Dawn," Ash finally spoke. He smoothly hopped off of the tire swing. "Let's go, guys. I know the perfect place where we can rest."

With that said, Ash offered his hand to help May off the tire swing. She sighed sadly and accepted the assistance. Dawn carefully made her way down from the top of the jungle gym, gently holding the little electric mouse in her arms.

"Okay, follow me," Ash placed his hands behind his head and walked with his friends right behind him. The three of them walked towards a large hill with a beautiful oak tree on top of it. It was the perfect size to relax and unwind – not too big and not too small. Ash laid his back against the tree with his friends sitting near him.

"Wow! This place has such a great view," Dawn said with sparkles in her eyes. "The sunset is so beautiful."

"Yeah…" May replied with the same expression. The spot was perfect for gazing across Petalburg City and into Routes 102 and Route 104. Suddenly, May's stomach rudely growled and interrupted the peaceful moment, causing her face to redden in embarrassment.

"Ha, sorry guys, but we should probably head home or something so we can get some food... I'm starving."

"Don't worry about that, May," Ash replied and stood up, facing towards the tree.

He then climbed up to one of the shorter branches of the tree and pulled out a well-protected item hidden in the leaves. Ash climbed back down the oak tree and presented the item to his friends, whose eyes widen in pleasant surprise.

"I brought a picnic basket filled with a ton of food," the raven-haired boy smiled.

"Ash. When did you have the time to do this?" Dawn asked. They were at the park the _whole_ day.

"I did it this morning before the two of you woke up. I asked Caroline to make us a feast fit for kings."

Ash continued smiling as he pulled out the ice pack that kept the foods cool. There was plenty of food for the three of them in the picnic basket: a few bottles of soda, a large container of various types of salad, some fruits such as watermelon slices, and other equally delicious-looking foods. Caroline had prepared a very Western meal for the three teenagers, which was nice over the traditional foods that Brock always made for them.

"So that's why you were up so early," the brunette noted with a smile, graciously accepting the plate that Ash handed to her.

"I didn't know that you could plan something so special, Ash," Dawn teased with a giggle, grabbing her own plate from Ash.

"Haha, Dawn," Ash sarcastically stated, rolling his eyes. "But seriously, I just wanted to do something special for May here."

After hearing that, May grinned shyly as her face heated up a little. "Thanks Ash…" the Top Coordinator said bashfully.

After waking up the electric mouse, Ash and Pikachu created a little campfire around the teens using a few of fallen branches and a slight Thunderbolt. The friends ate their food in peaceful silence, conversing about how much fun the day was and sharing other stories of their travels.

Ash was busy laughing at Dawn's hilarious hair disaster story when he suddenly felt a nudge near his leg. He looked down to see his trusted partner was the one doing the action.

"What's up, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu pi pika," he quietly whispered to his trainer.

"Oh yeah, that's right! Thanks Pikachu!" Ash gratefully whispered back. He had almost forgotten the most important part of their meal.

The trainer excused himself and ran down the hill to an unusually large bush at the bottom. Ash started to pull back some of the leaves, which were cleverly hiding a glowing-red basket. Ash smiled after he opened the basket to make sure everything was secure. He turned around and made his way back up the hill, where Dawn and May curiously stared at the item in his hand.

"What's that, Ash?"

"This is another surprise, Dawn," Ash smiled and sat down in front of the girls again. He reached into the basket and pulled out four Fire Stones, which was the reason that the basket had been glowing red the entire time.

As he handed each one to Pikachu, who placed the valuable stones in his backpack, May spoke up. "Umm, why did you put Fire Stones in that basket, Ash?"

"It's a trick I learned from Brock. He told me that if I ever wanted to keep something hot, I could just place some Fire Stones around it since these stones react similarly to an oven when placed together. They can also be used to warm any part of your body or even as flint to ignite something if you ever need it."

To say the least, May was impressed by Ash's experienced knowledge. This was coming from the boy who managed to get her bike fried the first day he met her.

After carefully giving the last stone to Pikachu, Ash pulled out a box that looked oddly familiar in May's mind. It had a picture of a magnificently beautiful and mysterious Pokémon with beautiful calligraphy on it.

"Wait a second, The Absol Stand?" May mumbled, a light bulb suddenly lighting above her head. "That's a takeout box from the old food stand that used to be located right at the park!"

Ash smiled and nodded, happy that she instantly recognized the name of the food joint. "Yes it is, May. And I bet that you can guess what's in it."

The coordinator bit her bottom lip as she thought about the image.

'_Arceus, I haven't been to that place in years! Didn't they have a specialty that Max and I got all the time?'_ May questioned herself.

The thing she was looking for was right on the tip of her tongue. In fact, she remembered that it made her swipe her tongue back and forth on her lips in delight all the time. But all that powdered sugar was never good for her health so she –– hold up. Powdered sugar?

May's eyes widen as it finally hit her. "Are those funnel cakes?"

"Yup, these are funnel cakes from the very same food stand," the smiling trainer opened the container to show a large stack of the delicious sugary treat to the girls. "C'mon guys, try some."

Ash placed a large piece on each of their plates and insisted that they take a bite. Dawn was the first to take a bite, causing her to lick her lips in satisfaction.

"Wow, Ash! This taste like it was fresh out of the fryer! Those Fire Stones are amazing," the blunette said with another piece in her mouth. "Try it May! They're so hot and soft."

May picked up a piece of the funnel cake and examined it on her fork. She was skeptic; no _way_ was this from The Absol Stand. It couldn't be. Didn't that place close down? Or maybe it moved somewhere else… May didn't know. She placed another piece of the treat in her mouth and was taken back.

"Whoa…" the brunette mumbled as she started to remember. She looked down at the container before turning to Ash with a large grin.

Dawn was confused. "Umm… Ash? Where did you get this funnel cake?"

Ash turned around. "I got it from this 24 hour food stand across town this morning before you guys woke up. It used to be here at the park, but it relocated a few years back."

"Ok, but why is May so excited about funnel cake? I know she loves to eat, but this is a little weird."

"May's mom told me that this was her favorite treat growing up. So she helped me make this picnic basket while I went out to get it."

The blunette giggled adorably after hearing that. She leaned into Ash and gave him a big hug. "Aww, you really are a closet romantic, Ash!"

Ash blushed slightly and laughed it off as Dawn let go of the trainer. She looked at May, who was still smiling after overhearing the conversation.

"_He's sooo into you!" _the blunette teasingly mouthed to her fellow coordinator.

May blushed at Dawn's gesture and mouthed back, _"No he's not."_

"_Yes he is! Aww, he's so sweet too," _Dawn smirk for emphasis.

"C'mon guys, there's still more funnel cake around," the auburn eyed trainer unknowingly interrupted the coordinators.

Dawn smiled sweetly and turned back to Ash. "Sure thing Ash!"

The blunette playfully winked at the brunette before helping herself to more of the delicious dessert.

May sighed at all of her best friend's teasing, but she smiled softly as she reflected on the day. Dawn was right; Ash was sweeter than those delicious funnel cakes.

* * *

The trio spent the rest of the time around the little campfire for a longer while after finishing their meals. During that time, the sun finally set on the horizon and the glistening moon shined in the Hoenn sky. All the local Pokémon from the area had gone back to their habitats and the last of the families had left a long time ago. The only ones left at the Petalburg City Park were the three teenagers.

"_Yawn_, I'm tired now, guys," Dawn wearily stated as she stood up. "I think I'm going to walk back to the house now."

The blunette yawned one more time and grabbed the empty picnic basket. "Let's go, guys."

Ash nodded and started to get up from his spot. However, May's hand shot up and grabbed his wrist, stopping him in place.

"Ash? Do you want to keep me company and watch the stars tonight?" May asked with a soft smile.

Ash initially wanted to get some sleep, but the alluring gaze from those two deep blue spheres convinced him otherwise.

Apparently, the trainer was staring too long at May since the flustered coordinator lowered her head quickly.

"Oh… it's okay if you don't want to, Ash," she mumbled as she pulled her hand away.

"No it's fine!" Ash replied a little too loudly. "I mean – I would love to do that, May."

May lifted her head back up with wide eyes before smiling warmly at the trainer. "Awesome."

Meanwhile, the two friends did not notice that Dawn was still there. The blunette sighed contently at the sight, a smile of her own spreading across her lips.

"Hey Ash? Since you're going to stay her with May, I'm going to take Pikachu with me."

Dawn walked over right next the friends sitting in front of the campfire and picked up the adorable mouse Pokémon, who was sleeping comfortably against the fire. After securing him in safely in the picnic basket, Dawn said good night to Ash and May and disappeared down the hill.

May smiled once more and spoke, "Thanks for staying here, Ash. I remember the last time we watched the stars together was with Max and Brock."

"Yeah, it was when the four of us met Jirachi, right?" Ash returned the smile.

May nodded, "When we first saw him, I had a little wish maker that I bought from a cute little shop. I wasn't sure if wishes could come true until Jirachi appeared. During those nights watching the Millennium Comet, I realized that you can make your wishes come true if you really believe in yourself."

Ash listened closely to May's story; her realization reminded him of his own goals. He had a wish once upon a time, and with hard work and dedication, he achieved it and turned his wish into his reality.

"You're right, May, wishes _can _come true. I guess both of our wishes came true then," the trainer spoke passionately. "I finally became a Pokémon master, and you finally became a Top Coordinator. That wish maker you got must've worked."

May stopped smiling for a moment and gazed at the crackling flames. "But that wasn't what I wished for…" she mumbled quietly.

Ash stopped smiling too and started to frown. "What do you mean––"

Before he could get his question out, May interrupted Ash by pointing to the starry night sky.

"Look, Ash!"

"Huh?" the trainer followed May's dainty fingers upwards and saw what she was showing him.

It was streaking across the Hoenn sky, shining brighter than the rest of the stars but at the same time illuminating those near it. Those other stars shined magnificently as constellations. That amazing thing was a shooting star.

"Wow, it's so beautiful," the coordinator silently spoke, lying down on her back to observe the stars.

"Yeah," Ash agreed as he also lied on his back, placing his hands behind his head.

May turned to her best friend and smiled. "Today was so awesome! Thanks for taking me here, Ash."

"No problem, May," he returned the warm grin.

The two of them spent a few more minutes watching the stars in peace; the only sound coming from the crackling fire right next to them. It was about to go out.

"Hey May, how about we head back to your house now?" the trainer started. But as he turned to look at the coordinator, Ash saw that the girl next to him was fast asleep. She must have fallen asleep not too long ago.

She looked really peaceful in her slumber.

Seeing that the campfire was reduced to a dim light, Ash stood up and crouched. Ever so gently, the raven-haired trainer picked up May off the ground and secured her soundly, carrying her bridal style. Ash kicked some dirt on the remaining sliver from the fire and made his way down the hill with May sleeping calmly in his arms.

* * *

Ash was only one block away from the Maple household. Surprisingly, May had been lighter than the trainer thought, so carrying her in his arms a couple of blocks was not too difficult. Before he could round the corner of the street, a poster tapped on a pole caught Ash's attention. On it was a picture of a Beautifly perched in a beautiful pink cherry blossom tree.

"The Beautifly Hanami Festival is tomorrow? Hmm…"

The trainer took a minute to reread the information on the poster before a large grin appeared on his face. He then glanced at the girl still sleeping in his arms.

'_I bet May and Dawn would love to go to this festival!'_

Ash nodded cheerfully to himself and continued down the street to the house. Once he reached the door, the Pokémon master gently raised his hand to press the doorbell, making sure that May did not fall.

The door opened to reveal a worried Caroline. The stay-at-home wife felt extremely anxious when she saw Dawn come home without Ash and May. However, that feeling instantly disappeared when she saw her sleeping daughter being carried bridal style in the arms of Ash.

Ash quietly thanked the woman and then promptly apologized for being out so late. He looked at the clock and saw it was already 1:48 A.M.

Caroline sighed in relief and smiled at him. "No need to worry about that, Ash. But it's pretty late now; can you please bring May into her room?"

Ash nodded his head and said good night to Caroline before heading towards the stairs. However, Ash did not realize that the brunette in his arms was beginning to stir.

When May woke up, she had no idea where she was. Eyes halfway closed, the Top Coordinator glanced upwards to see the face of Ash.

'_Huh? Where am I?'_

Finally feeling May's body shift, Ash tightened his grip on her since he thought that she was going to fall.

'_Wait, is Ash carrying me? Are we home now?'_

The sapphire-eyed girl was too comfy and too warm at the moment to go into more detail, so she allowed herself to stay in Ash's arms and closed her eyes again.

Ash, unaware that May had woken up a few seconds ago, entered May's room and carefully avoided stepping on Dawn. He placed May in her bed and pulled the blankets over her, making sure that she was tucked in nice and snuggly. After door of her room gently closed, May sighed contently and smiled before the fading warmness that radiated off Ash lured her back into sleep.


End file.
